Devil's Child
by greenkitsune
Summary: Vergil's first child is threatened by a new force in the underworld that desires the child to aid in its rise to power. His past seems to be repeating itself as Vergil struggles to save his family again. Chap 13: Life after Vergil. Darker themes. Sequel.
1. Chapter 1: Thy Mother and Father

_**I do not own Devil May Cry or any of the characters, stories, plots, locations, etc thereof. I do not own any of Shakespeare's works or the text within it. **_

_**This is a sequel, so for more information on my OC, check out my previous story Devil's Sins.**_

_**Constructive criticism is welcome. **_

_**Enjoy. RR  
**_

* * *

Vergil felt the demon's scythe skim across his leg as he sliced upward with Yamato, cutting the demon's head neatly into two pieces with a diagonal slash. Blood burst forth from the wound, and Vergil jumped back to avoid being splattered. He looked down at his leg to a see a single tear but no wound.

The dead demon was small and pathetic; killed more out of charity rather than economy. More than likely, the person who had hired him would be unable to pay. It wasn't just the money he longed for, but the thrill of the hunt. He missed the jobs he had done before; the massive, powerful demons that went after politicians, billionaires, and crime lords. Sometime, he even longed for the occasional assassination. Things more complicated than answering every human's cry for help.

Dante had made it very clear that he operated under a sense of morality rather than adventure.

He kicked the carcass, angry at his own sense of nostalgia. Looking up at the evening sky laced with ribbons of purple and pink, his mind wondered to thoughts of his unborn child, a deep contentment resonating through him. Then he looked to the dead demon and anxiety quickly replaced it. The image of red haired Evangeline in the place of his mother, holding herself against the door as demons attacked and screaming for her child to run, entered his mind. It was an image he was having all too often. Quickly, Vergil left the place of slaughter to return home.

#########

She rolled the cigarette absently on the bathroom counter, twirling it around her fingers before setting it down then picking it up again: a repeated ritual. Evangeline raised it to her lips, sticking her tongue out to taste the paper and the faintest traces of tobacco. It was the closest she could manage to smoking, Vergil having removed all the lighters and matches; a tactic that proved to be quite fruitful. Next to where she was rolling the cigarette, a single bottle of pills stood, never opened, and by then, no longer effective.

Vergil had moved them to a small house on the outskirts of the city after the news of the pregnancy; though, Dante had made sure they remained close enough that they could visit everyday. Since the announcement, he had become the doting uncle to the unborn child, showering gifts upon Evangeline and the baby at every opportunity. He had even pitched in to help Vergil buy the house, though the majority came from Lady.

Turning to the side, she placed her hand on her exposed belly, cigarette still dangling from her mouth. It protruded out from her small frame like a giant balloon of flesh, strangely bulbous next to her spindly arms and legs. The doctor's words to put on more weight echoed again in her mind. She rubbed the smooth flesh, feeling a slight movement from within which gave her pause. Her eyes wandered back to the pills, and she wondered whether they would still work past the six month mark.

A knock at the door. She mouthed the word "shit" and scrambled, throwing the cigarette out the open window and bottle of pills under the sink amongst various cleaning supplies.

"What!" she called. Vergil opened the door wide and stepped in, ignoring the general rule of bathroom privacy. His long blue coat and white shirt were spotted with blood and there was a long tear in his pant leg. Yamato hung at his side, a constant companion. He stared at her, his face betraying no emotion.

"What?" she repeated, eyeing the condition of his clothes.

"What did the doctor say?"

She rolled her eyes and shoved her way past him. "Nothing. The heartbeat is fine, she still thinks it's remarkable the baby lived, and that I need to put on weight. The baby is due in a month so we should arrange a date when we want to deliver."

Evangeline lowered herself slowly onto the bed, barely keeping herself from toppling backward with the weight on her belly.

"And she's sure that it isn't twins."

"As sure as she was born. One baby, thank god."

"You seem angry," he said, crossing his arms and leaning on the bathroom frame.

Evangeline was silent for a moment, contemplating what she should say.

"Everything hurts, my feet are swollen, and I'm hormonal. It's easier being the father," she said, her explanation partially true.

"Women have been giving birth for thousands of years," he replied, stone faced.

"Yeah, and each one of them probably complained. By the way, the hospital bill came in."

He looked stared at her. "I thought I paid them."

"This is for the prenatal care, Vergil," Evangeline said, her voice cracking with irritation. "We still have hospital bills."

"You should just give birth in the house," he replied, removing his coat.

Evangeline narrowed her eyes. "If you're being serious, then you're an idiot. If you're joking, it's not funny."

Vergil stopped removing his stained clothes, his hair mussed after taking off his shirt. He shot a glare at his grouchy lover before continuing to strip.

"We also need your information to fill out your claim for fatherhood, like your social security number, and the information on your birth certificate."

He stared at her blankly, standing only in his boxers. Some strands of his white hair had fallen out of place and into his eyes.

"I don't know what my information is."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?

"Demon's don't tend to ask."

She sighed in exasperation. "So you're saying our family doesn't exist."

"I had no issues living without it," he said, pulling out a shirt from the dresser next to him and slipping it on.

"Yeah, if you want to be a dirty fringe crawler. This is your child, Vergil, and I sincerely hope she doesn't have a life like yours."

He closed the dresser, causing Yamato to topple from its position leaning on it. Vergil picked up his sword and put it back into place. He stared at Evangeline, watching the demonic essence flair up behind the green in her eyes. It had been getting darker and more prevalent the closer she was to delivery. He breathed in deeply then released, unclenching his fists.

"I will find out," he said and climbed into the bed. She watched him as he settled between the covers.

"Does the baby mean you're never going to put up a fight? I liked it better when we squabbled more," Evangeline said, lying down next to him.

Vergil grabbed the large body pillow on the other side of him and gently smacked Evangeline in the face with the edge of it. He closed his eyes, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lip. She smiled and placed it between her legs and under her swollen belly to lie on her side, facing away. Resting her hand on her stomach, she felt a small flutter of movement and her smile quickly disappeared. Briefly, she imagined removing the child then and the tiny form crumbling into dust. Guilt weighed heavily on her after the thought fluttered across her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut.

_I don't think I can do this_, she thought.

Vergil rolled over and wrapped his arm around her, placing his hand over her belly. He smiled and thought about the day it would be born.

##########

"Come on, Lady. Let me have it," Dante said, holding out a gloved hand.

"I'm not giving it up," Lady said. Her mismatched eyes stared at Dante, dancing with glee at his pleas.

"Just for one night."

"No."

"I wanna use Kalina Ann!"

Lady adjusted the large weapon on her back. "Why would you want to?"

"I feel like making large explosions tonight," he said with a smile. He placed a hand on her hip, surreptitiously bringing himself closer.

"If you don't, I'm just going to have to give you a big kiss," he leered, his voice husky.

"That was a better threat six months ago," Lady said.

Dante smiled widely and raised his eyebrows. Lady kissed him lightly on the cheek and moved his hands away. He frowned and tried to grab her again when the door to the shop opened. Evangeline walked in, her heavy, black winter coat spotted with snow and barely concealing her stomach. She pulled her scarf away from her mouth, set down the large bag slung over her shoulder, and began taking off her coat.

"Hey, you," Dante said. He walked over to her and knelt down, his nose level with her bellybutton.

"And how are you? Little, little Sparda." He rubbed her stomach. She smacked him on the head.

"Dante I swear if you keep doing that…."

Dante patted his head and stood up, blue eyes dancing with joy. "I have a gift for the baby."

Running over to the desk, he opened a drawer and pulled out a small plastic package full of tops for baby bottles.

"They said that these will reduce upset stomachs for the baby," he said, smiling.

Evangeline looked at the package and sighed. "Dante, we already have plenty of nipples."

"Yeah, but these reduce stomachaches."

Evangeline looked at Lady. "Get pregnant or I am giving him my baby."

"I'll take it," Dante said.

"Dante isn't even allowed to hold my child," Vergil said, slipping through the door silently. Despite the cold weather outside, he only wore his long blue coat, clean of the last night's demon blood.

"Come on, Verg. You know I would raise that kid to be a kickass mini-devil hunter."

"Over my dead body."

"Speaking of which," Evangeline interrupted. "If something happens, Vergil needs to claim paternity. Dante, do you have his information and documents?"

Dante's snorted and waved his hand at her. "I don't even have mine. Nobody really needs those things."

Evangeline turned to Vergil, her brow furrowed and her lips set in a thin line. "How did you manage to get through so many years of life without documentation? Never mind. I don't want to know. Just tell me what year you were born and I'll look it up."

Vergil stared at Evangeline, without answering, and then looked at his brother.

"We're thirty," Dante said to Vergil. Vergil returned his eyes to the flustered Evangeline; her cheeks beginning to turn pink.

"I was born thirty years ago."

"You didn't know when you were born?" Evangeline paused, contemplating the numbers for a moment. "Wait, thirty? You're older than me."

Vergil shrugged slightly and crossed his arms.

"He likes his ladies young," Dante said with a wink.

Trish came from the kitchen in the back, smiling when she saw the pregnant woman.

"Look at how big you're getting," she said with a soft chuckle.

Evangeline made a face and walked over to the desk to sit down in the chair. She rubbed her swollen knees with both hands. Vergil watched her out of the corner of his eye, her face grimacing with pain. Walking over, he kneeled down and began untie her boots. He looked up at her as he removed the first boot, receiving a soft smile in response.

"Oh, I overheard what you were saying. I have a friend at the federal registry who I saved from a demon a few weeks ago, I can probably ask him about finding Vergil's information," Trish said.

"Thank god for favors. I always wondered how you got by," Evangeline said.

Trish walked towards where Evangeline was sitting.

"Did you find out the sex?"

Evangeline looked at Vergil who stood up after removing the second boot.

"No. I didn't ask."

"It's a boy," Vergil said without looking.

"I think it's a girl," Evangeline shot back.

"And why is that?"

"Because your mother said so," Evangeline smirked. Vergil tilted his head and looked at her, not sure whether she had gone half-mad. She raised an eyebrow at him, still smirking.

Dante clapped his hands together. "Alright kiddies, you two fine ladies are going to the dock to watch out for an incoming transport, make sure it doesn't get attacked, and Vergil we're going to a bar to check out some weird stuff."

"Weird stuff. I'm glad that we have jobs that require such high skills," Vergil said.

"Don't bitch, Vergil," Dante said, crossing his arms.

"Have you ever thought about more exclusive cliental?"

"Money is money," Dante snapped. "Prego, man the phone. There's a gun under the desk if you need it."

Vergil looked at Evangeline. "You could always try helping. Maybe trying to see a demon at the docks."

"I'm sure I can, but last time I tried tracking down demons, I died from a horrible disease. So I'm going to say it is not happening," Evangeline replied, digging into her bag.

Vergil leaned down close to her ear. "It would be helpful if you tried to do it again. Those eyes can be a benefit."

"It would be more useful if you could just learn to do it yourself," Evangeline said and pulled out a book and pencil from her bag. She set them on the desk and smiled sweetly at Vergil.

"Don't do anything stupid," he said sternly, glaring.

"Trust me, I won't."

Vergil smirked slightly and walked past his brother and out the door. The remaining three followed, waving as they left.

Evangeline sighed and leaned back. The baby kicked the wall of her stomach. Her insides began to quake as a sudden sadness overwhelmed her. She closed her eyes against the onslaught of tears, but a few managed to escape and slip down her cheeks. Swallowing hard, she opened her book and began reading, the words of _Macbeth _rolling across her mind.

_They have made themselves, and that their fitness now_

_Does unmake you. I have given suck, and know_

_How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me:_

_I would, while it was smiling in my face,_

_Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums_

_And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you_

_Have done this. If we should fail?_

She quickly slammed the book shut.

##########

Dante sauntered into the dimly lit bar, a large, confident smile across his face. The bar was small; the counter took up the entire left wall while the booths lined the room, making a giant L. In the middle were a few tables, low lights hanging that barely illuminated the patrons in the seats. From a dusty jukebox, a few soft notes played, hardly distinguishable from the background noise.

Vergil eyed each of the bar-goers with a scrupulous eye, noticing every move and the direction of their gazes. Most were young, with a few middle aged men and women scattered about. His eyes wondered to the table at the end of the bar, slightly in shadow. An old woman sat there, a deck of cards next to her wrinkled hand and a young woman staring intently at the assembly of cards on the table.

He saw Dante take a seat at the bar and he followed, noting the crumbs on the surface. As Vergil sat down, the bar stool creaked loudly and he felt a wash of annoyance at the miserable place.

The bartender looked them over for a moment then leaned over the counter, his bald head shiny with sweat.

"Are you the guys?" he asked, revealing crooked teeth.

"We could be. Depends on what you're looking for," Dante said.

The bartender bit his lip and began pouring two drinks.

"Listen, I just heard that you guys take care of weird jobs. Now something weird has been happening. Things go flying off the walls, a few of my regulars have disappeared, and then some of them just walk around like zombies. So just look around, and let me know if anything is happening." He set the drinks in front of them.

"Who is the old woman?" Vergil asked.

"She's just some old lady looking for a buck by telling fortunes. She's been coming here for months, doesn't bother anyone," the bartender whispered quickly before walking away to tend to a young woman who had approached.

Dante smiled at his brother, looking like a child despite the dark stubble of his chin.

"Man, this is my kind of job. Free booze," he slapped his brother on the back. "Hey, drinks are on me."

Dante laughed heartily and downed his drink with one gulp. He glanced at his brother who stared into his glass, his face like a marble-statue. Vergil always looked like a living statue to him: cold, but with infinite depth of thought behind it.

"I still can't believe you're going to be a daddy. Man, I never thought it would be you first. Or, actually, I never thought it would be you ever because you were dead."

Vergil's eyes seemed to flicker with a small flame ignited by the thought of his child, but his face remained unmoved.

"I thought we were working," Vergil said.

"Come on, Verg. You haven't said anything about it. How do you feel?" Dante said, prying into his brother. Finding his brother's feelings was a difficult task, like diving for pearls. Usually, it was fruitless but the thought of the small treasure kept him trying.

Vergil remained silent, staring into his glass. He mulled over how much he actually wanted to reveal to his brother, forming his words carefully before speaking.

"It was unexpected," he said slowly. He looked his brother in the eye. "And the greatest blessing."

_Sometimes I wonder if I deserve it_, he thought as Dante put a hand on his shoulder.

Out of the corner of his eye, Vergil saw the young woman from the other end of the bar approach. She leaned against the counter next to him, inches away, pouting her lips and leaning forward so that her shirt opened slightly to reveal her cleavage.

"Hey. You want to buy me a drink?" she said to Vergil; he could smell the liquor on her breath.

"No."

"I'll by you a drink baby," Dante said, smiling.

She giggled, high-pitched and uncontrollably. "I think I want it from your friend here. So come on."

The young woman ran her hand down Vergil's blue clad arm. He turned his head towards her, an icy, menacing glare in his eyes.

"Leave," he said with a low voice.

Her eyes were wide as she took one step back then darted away. Vergil picked up his drink, and took a swill. Vodka.

"That wasn't nice, Vergil," Dante said.

"I'm not buying a useless human a drink and last time I checked, I have a woman and a child. If you drop the subject, I won't speak of this to Lady."

"Whatever, man," Dante said and turned around in his bare stool, surveying the room. Vergil turned his head to the room as well, noting again the old woman, no longer with her companion. He looked around, spotting the companion at another table, her eyes staring ahead, oblivious to the people around her.

Vergil stood up and walked towards the end booth where she sat, shuffling her cards between her wrinkled hands. As he approached, he could note the sparse white hair, liver spots, and the veins exposed under her thin, white skin. He stopped at the table.

"Care to hear a fortune, dear?" the old woman asked with the raspy voice of a smoker.

"What do you see?"

She coughed and spread out her cards on the table.

"You're a very powerful man, from a very powerful father. They will try to take away that which makes you powerful. If you wish to remain so, I suggest you safeguard what you possess."

Vergil noted that the old woman did not look at her cards.

"Hey, Verg!" Dante shouted.

Vergil turned to look at his brother when the bullet entered his head.

############

Evangeline dropped her pencil.

"God, dammit," she hissed and tried leaning over to grab it, unable to get past her belly. With a growl, she kicked it away, watching it roll under the door to the back. She spun around in the chair, returning to her book on desk.

"Shit!" she exclaimed, jumping an inch out of her seat, her heart pounding.

A man in a blue suit stood in front of the desk. His hair was slicked back from his handsome, squared face, and he smiled with a mouth full of white teeth.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you come in," she said, hand over her thumping heart.

"This is Devil May Cry, correct?" he asked, his voice low and smooth.

She felt her eyes sting and she rubbed them.

"That's what the sign says. Do you have the password?"

A few tears, escaped her burning eyes. The man in front of her became nearly transparent, glowing slightly red. Her eyes narrowed and she fingered under the desk for the gun.

"A password! How funny. I was just looking for Dante and Vergil. You wouldn't happen to know where they are?" he said, still smiling with his unearthly white teeth. She felt her skin crawl.

"No. I'm just the secretary. I pick up the phone," she said, her hand finding the gun.

"Awfully dangerous job you have, and those are very interesting eyes."

He leaned against the desk. She stood up, pulling out the gun as she did and clicking off the safety.

"You need to leave," she ordered, keeping her voice from wavering.

The transparent man laughed then stopped mid-chuckle, his eyes wondering down to her abdomen. His grin widened until it almost consumed his entire face.

"Interesting," he said. "This is just too fascinating. Just the secretary are we?"

She fired the gun, but the bullet hit only air as the demon was no longer there. Wildly, she looked around, but the room was empty and her eyes no longer burned. Realizing she was holding her breath, Evangeline let out a shaky exhale and sat down in the chair. She placed an arm over her pregnant belly, while her free hand held the gun ready.

#############

The bullet entered the back of his skull with a sharp, stinging sensation. Vergil felt it travel through his flesh then the pull and sudden release as it exited through his forehead. His vision went blurry and an intense pain filled his head. It quickly subsided, and he caught himself as he fell forward. Around him, patrons were screaming and running. A gust of wind nearly knocked him over, and he turned to see the old woman enveloped in blue flame. The flame grew higher and higher until it took the form of a large muscular body with long arms that ended claw tipped hands. The body of the old woman fell away like a husk of skin, dried and lifeless. Above the body, the fire solidified, forming a demon with gray skin, long spikes down its back, and a face like that of a prawn; its mouth feelers thrashing wildly.

"Sparda!" reverberated from its throat.

Vergil quickly unsheathed Yamato, but Dante was there first, attacking the demon with a hailstorm of bullets.

"Come on ugly! You like hiding as a human!"

The bullets struck the demon, sending out a shower of blood with each tiny puncture. From each wound, a horrible moan emitted and a blue form slipped out, a single face implanted in each. As the blue forms reached freedom, they would disappear in a flash of light. The demon stared horrified as they escaped, trying to cover the wounds.

_Souls_, Vergil thought.

With each bullet and escaped soul, the demon seemed to wither. Vergil summoned ice daggers and embedded each deep within the demon where they shattered, releasing more imprisoned spirits. The demon slumped to the floor, swatting at Vergil weakly. After another rapid fire from Dante, it crouched on the floor, quivering.

Vergil approached it, standing over it with Yamato in hand. The demon looked up; its black eyes full of hate.

"They will get it," it hissed. Vergil swung, decapitating the demon which disappeared into blue flames.

Dante twirled Ebony and Ivory on his fingers before holstering them.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

Vergil looked at his brother. He looked at his sword in his hand and sheathed it with one fluid motion. His hand remained on the hilt, wary of any demonic force which may want to steal it. _Take that which makes me most powerful_, he thought.

############

When Dante and Vergil returned to Devil May Cry, they found Evangeline asleep at the desk, gun in hand. Rather than waking the sleeping woman, Vergil gently carried her to the car and covered her with her coat. As he drove, he occasionally glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, the dawn beginning to break. His mind wondered back to Yamato and what demon could possibly want it. He felt cold at the thought of being separated from the sword again.

"There was a demon," Evangeline said, interrupting his reverie. She stretched in the seat and removed the coat from around her.

"Where?"

"In the shop. He was asking for you and Dante."

"He obviously didn't hurt you," he said, worry beginning to eat him.

"I shot at him and he just disappeared," she yawned. "I shouldn't be this calm about demons approaching me."

"Only normal people panic about demons," he said. He pulled into the driveway.

Their tiny two-storey house stood in front of them, the windows dark. The house was built in the Victorian style and the green wood paneling showing its age with peeling paint. It was square, with slanted roofs, and a small porch: not the most elegant model and different from the grand turrets of their neighbors.

They climbed out of the car, Evangeline slipping on the snow slightly. She made her way over to the mailbox as Vergil walked inside, and grabbed the waiting envelopes. Skimming through them quickly, she saw nothing but bills. Lowering her arms and tilting her head back, she looked at sky touched lightly by the rising sun. Then, she did something she hadn't done in a very long time.

"God help me. Give me guidance; I don't know what I'm doing."

Vergil watched her from the window, holding the curtain slightly open with two fingers. His eyes followed her as she walked up the porch and into the house, stomping the snow off of her boots as she entered. She saw Vergil standing in the shadow, his blue eyes illuminated even in the small amount of light.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, fine," she said as she removed her coat, avoiding looking at him.

He walked over and pulled her into his arms, his blue eyes warmly staring at her.

"I love you," he said softly. "You and our child are everything. I will never allow a demon to hurt you ever again."

She stared at him and placed her hand over his.

"I love you. Whatever that brings me."

They held each other in the darkness, staring intently. Each were unaware of the other's secret worry and shame as they embraced, forgetting for a moment the daunting task ahead and the dangerous trials they knew they would face. For a moment, the world disappeared until Evangeline felt the baby move and it all came rushing back: demons, bills, and a life they were still unprepared for.

* * *

_**Let me know what you think. Peace!**_


	2. Chapter 2: The Puppet Maker

_**I do not own Devil May Cry or any of the characters, stories, plots, locations, etc. thereof. **_

_**Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed. It is always a pleasure. **_

_**Enjoy. RR.  
**_

* * *

The water trickled down her back, forming rivulets and streams through the maze of scars on her back: pale, raised marks like valleys of skin. She ran her hands over her long red hair that was laid straight with the torrent of water. Vergil watched her tilt her face towards the shower head, eyes closed, through the gap of the partially opened curtain. Evangeline turned slightly, and he could see the slope of her pregnant belly.

Silently, he removed his clothes, crusted on his body with the vile remains of the night's kill. He slipped in behind her, running his hand down her marred back.

"It's late," he said. The blood of the demon ran off his body. Evangeline glanced down at the dark puddle forming around him, lifting herself up on her toes.

"Dinner's on the table. Just put it in the microwave."

"I tend to enjoy my takeout cold. Why are you awake?" he asked. He grabbed the soap from the small shelf imbedded in the tile and began scrubbing her back.

"I don't sleep well without you," she said, turning around.

Again, she eyed the demon blood running off of him. He maneuvered his away around, to place himself under the showerhead. Vergil stared at his pregnant lover, noting every curve the maternal life like a goddess of fertility. Her scars standing as a testament to the ferocity of life that she would bring. The illusion was broken by her irritated face and the demonic essence that had completely overtaken the whites of her eyes, making her harsh face look more like a demon's.

"What?" she asked.

"You're attractive right now."

"I think you've gone too long without sex," she said.

He grasped her hand and gently pulled her towards him. Pressing his lips against hers, he kissed her deeply as he hands roamed down her arms and sides. She grabbed his face between her hands and pressed her lips harder against him, warm water running down their faces and steam rising around them in wisps of hot mist.

"You're a strange man," she whispered between kisses. She draped her arms around his shoulders. "Is this some sort of strange masculine validation because you're fertile enough to get a woman knocked up?"

He grinned devilishly and kissed her again.

She pulled away. "You've been gone a lot."

Vergil dropped his arms and stared at her, the warmth from before gone.

"Someone is trying to steal Yamato. I need to figure out who it is," he said and turned to face the water.

Evangeline stepped out of the tub carefully, grabbing her robe which lay in a heap on the floor. She wrapped it around herself and watched Vergil shower. Even in the hot water, his strong muscles seemed tense: a perfect statue of a man. She always found her eyes wondering to his well formed buttocks. _Always loved a good ass_, she thought.

"How do you know someone is trying to steal it?"

"I was attacked by a demon who said so the night you fell asleep. The source of my greatest power was what it said," he replied.

"Well, I guess that would be your sword. What good is it, though?"

He turned to her, his narrowed eyebrows revealing his annoyance at her ignorance.

"It's a sword from my father and contains a part of him. It can also be used to open portals to the underworld."

"Oh," she said indignantly and glared back. He smirked in response and returned to his shower. Evangeline yawned and walked out of the bathroom.

Vergil let the warm water just run over his body before his mind wandered back to Yamato. He felt a twinge of panic that the unaccompanied sword might be in danger before his rational mind took over. It was crucial that he find whoever wanted to take it from him and for what purpose. He had been out every night hunting for any clues, mostly alone, visiting places he knew demons and those connected with the underworld to dwell. The demons were still sparse after the infection, more concerned with rebuilding their kingdoms and hierarchies than dealing with conquering the descendants of Sparda. Not a single whisper of the sword.

"Maybe he was lying," Dante had said. It wasn't a risk he was willing to take, not after the helplessness of separation.

He slammed his fist against the wall.

#############

Evangeline tossed and turned in the bed, her body feeling as if it were on fire. The sheets were twisted around her legs and the pillow was long since tossed to the floor. She felt a tingling in her stomach and lifted her nightshirt. The flesh on her pregnant stomach was covered in red and black sores, stretching further and further up her torso….

Evangeline opened her eyes with a sharp gasp. From the sun through the curtains, she could tell it was late afternoon. Glancing around, she found that Vergil had already awakened. He sat in the corner of their bedroom, shirtless, eyes closed in deep meditation: something she had always found to be a silly practice. Instead of disturbing him, she went downstairs.

As she stood in the kitchen, she was at a loss as to what to do. Eat breakfast? Then what? Probably sit down and read another book. She spotted a small pile of dishes in the sink and decided to load them into the dishwasher. _That's what women do without jobs, maintain the house._ She rinsed each dish and set it into the old washer which made a clunking noise whenever she turned it on.

After adding detergent and pressing the button, she heading towards the living room where a pile of books were waiting. From upstairs, she heard Vergil's shuffling. She glanced at the floor and the smudges of black demon remains that led to Vergil's brown boots at the stairs. She heaved a sigh that seemed to deflate her whole body and tried crouching to scrape off the blood from the floor. Her belly and the ache in her back stopped her descent, and the baby kicked in response to being jostled.

"Oh stop, this is harder on me than it is on you," she snapped at her swollen stomach. From the kitchen, the steady clank of the dishwasher grew louder and louder it stopped with a loud groan of gears stopping. She waddled to the kitchen to see water, soap, and food remains leaking onto the floor.

"Fuck!" she said, staring helplessly at the mess on the floor. Grabbing a towel from the stove handle, she threw it over the growing mess which seemed like throwing a stick at a blue whale and hoping it would stop.

Vergil came down the stairs, and slipped on his dirty boots from before, eyeing them distastefully. He wore Yamato at his side, his long blue coat, a black shirt, and black pants, opting to avoid potential staining.

"Vergil," Evangeline, snapped. "The dishwasher just broke."

He walked past the small dining room table and into the kitchen, watching the water slowly leak out onto the kitchen floor.

Evangeline stared at him expectantly. "Can't you fix it?"

His face was emotionless as he turned to leave.

"I need to go. Just wash the dishes by hand," he said quickly before walking out the door, shutting it behind him.

Evangeline stalked after him. "Vergil, god dammit! I can't clean this up by myself."

The house was silent except for the drip of water pooling on the floor. Through the window, the sun was beginning its descent into late noon, the slanted light causing shadows on the floor. She walked over to the phone on the wall in the kitchen, and dialed a familiar number. Suddenly, she felt very alone.

Two rings. "Devil May Cry. What's the password?"

"It's me Trish."

"Hi, something wrong?"

"I was just wondering what you and Lady were doing tonight. I could use some company."

"We have another job. Though I don't expect anything to happen, it's is kind of a demon dry spell. That one night we went to the docks, all we had to do was watch a boat come in. Some sort of reliquary with a feather in it. It said that the saint had sprouted wings and made the invaders turn away or something like that. The Catholic Church must have thought it was valuable enough to protect. We got paid, but it was kind of dull…"

"Trish that's really interesting and all, but I just wanted to know if you were free," Evangeline said, twirling the chord around her finger.

"Sorry, hon. We have another job tonight. Is Vergil not around?"

"No, he left."

"He must be doing something with Dante. Maybe another time?"

Evangeline smiled weakly, "Maybe another time. Bye."

The phone clicked as she hung it up. She stared at the phone for a moment before turning from it and heading towards the stairs. In her bedroom, she changed, piling on warm clothing. As she reached the door downstairs, the baby kicked again.

"Want to go out with mommy? Too bad, you don't have a choice," she said and walked out into the fading light.

###########

Vergil sat perched on the roof of an industrial building, watching the entrance to a warehouse across the street. He crouched just at the lip of the edge, his coat periodically swaying in the light breeze.

"Don't you think you're being paranoid?" Dante said. He sat against the short wall that marked the edge of the building, his legs stretched out in front of him.

"I didn't ask you to come."

"Nothing else to do except act like a paranoid schizophrenic with you. The family which stalks potentially innocent people together stays together."

"These are arms dealers for the black market," he looked at his brother out of the corner of his eye. "They deal with devil arms as well."

"How do you even know that?" Dante said and flicked a piece of gravel from next to him.

"There's a benefit to working with criminals which you would know if you weren't so compelled by blind morality," Vergil said, returning his eyes to warehouse entrance.

"I'll ignore that," Dante said. "I got a new present for the baby."

"The baby doesn't need anything else."

"Come on!"

"Get your own child," Vergil snapped.

"Maybe I should start a family. But I haven't been with Lady long…. Do you think she would go for it?" Dante asked.

Vergil remained silent. From around the corner of the warehouse emerged a tall man with a well-composed face and slicked back hair, wearing a suit. The warehouse door opened, and a round man emerged, spoke briefly with him, and then disappeared inside the building again. The man in the suit looked around once and then was simply no longer there.

From his perch, Vergil leapt smoothly down, landing feet first on the concrete below. As he landed, he heard the clatter of metal and the warehouse door slowly opening.

#############

It was cold. Evangeline could see her breath coming out in little puffs of white. Her toes were chilled and hurt slightly as she applied pressure. She was slightly winded walking up the hill lined with small shops and boutiques. The street was decorated with wreaths and lights, creating a gift-shopping paradise for the upcoming holidays. People streamed in and out of stores, carrying bags from various stores.

She peeked in the window of one, admiring the fine dresses hanging in the window. One was a deep green with a slightly flared skirt and a fold on one shoulder. Short enough to sexy, but still sophisticated. Looking down, she saw her worn black coat and baggy pants, hardly able to fit with her giant belly. _I wonder what Vergil would think_? He had never mentioned anything about her clothing; he focused more on whether they were on or off her body rather than the composition. A hospital bill floated across her mind, the numbers stretching to infinity, and she turned away.

Across the street was a church of stone nestled between two shops. Its tall tower pierced the sky and the deep sound of the bell marked the hour. Next to the door was a brightly lit sign reading _Saint Angelus Catholic Church_. She rubbed her icy hands together and crossed the street. Testing the door first, it opened, and she walked inside.

The interior was simple. Along the walls were arches lined up to create open hallways. Next to those were two columns of shiny pews which seemed almost new. In the front was an altar behind which was a large image of a Mary and baby Jesus. On either side of the main alter were two smaller alters, both with lit candles, flames gently dancing. She remembered the image from her temple, how overbearing it seemed in comparison to the pensive woman holding her child, her face serene and pure. She gave birth to a messiah who faced great suffering and died before her, but she was always depicted as peaceful.

Evangeline walked down the middle aisle and took a seat in one of the middle pews. Her eyes remained on the mother and child.

"Pardon me if I don't know how to pray to you," she said.

"No pardon necessary."

Evangeline snapped her head towards the voice. A young woman with a round, pleasant face stood there. Her brown hair was partially covered by a black veil held in place by a band, and she was dressed in a modest black dress with a white collar. She smiled warmly at Evangeline before taking a seat next to her.

"I could teach you how if you want," she said, still smiling.

"You're a nun," Evangeline said tentatively.

"Well, I'm a dedicate. I'm not a nun yet. I was placed here to learn from the sisters of this church. You're actually the youngest person I've seen come in except for the children the parents bring," the nun replied.

Evangeline nodded, raising an eyebrow to the woman's constant smile.

"Do you want me to teach you?"

Evangeline looked at the statue then back at the woman.

"No not really," she stammered. "I don't believe in this. If you don't look too shocked, I was raised in a cult called the Blood Temple, but that was a long time ago."

"I heard about them, but you still believe in God right?" asked the nun.

"You are very straightforward. But, yes, I do because I most definitely believe in hell," she said.

"Saints talk to me. I heard the voice of St. Angelus just the other day. We received his relic. That's actually why I'm here so late."

"Hallucinating?"

She laughed, high-pitched yet sweet. "No, I was cleaning it."

"Sorry about the hallucination comment," Evangeline said after watching her smiling face.

"I would have said the same thing. I'm Sister Anne," she said and held out her hand. Evangeline took it carefully.

"Evangeline. Pleasure."

"Oh, you're pregnant!" Sister Anne said, her eyes landing on Evangeline's torso. "Just like the holy mother."

Evangeline snorted. "Hardly."

"You seem unhappy," the sister said, her smile turning into a deep frown which left a large crease in her forehead.

"You're kind of a stranger to me," Evangeline replied, her eyes returning to the statue.

"It's my job to help people. That's why I became a nun," Sister Anne replied. Evangeline watched her chew on her lips as she stared expectantly at her.

"I don't really have anyone else to talk to," Evangeline admitted.

"The father isn't around?"

"Oh, no. I'm…married; it's just hard to talk about with him and the rest of them. I don't have any family since my mother died and I always thought she was one I would turn to at times like this," Evangeline said slowly, looking down at her gloved hands.

"Listen. I'm lonely here. The other nuns aren't very nice to me because I am so young. I could really use a friend to talk to, and it sounds like you need one too. Maybe we can meet and just chat," the young nun said. Her eyes were wide with hope in prospect of a new companion.

Evangeline nodded.

"Alright," she said, looking again at the Virgin. "Can I tell you something? I never wanted this baby."

"Then why did you get pregnant?"

Evangeline smiled at the naïve words. "Unprotected sex is why. If you saw the father you would understand. I thought about getting rid of it, actually. But you should have seen his face. He is so happy to be having this baby even though he has no clue what he is doing."

"Is that why you don't want it?"

"No. That's not why," she turned her whole body to face the nun. "Don't be shocked, but I just got myself clean. It hasn't even been a year since I did drugs. And I am so young, I just want to be able to enjoy my life and drink, have sex, and just be with him. I can't handle this responsibility. I don't even know how to take care of myself and if the baby was hurt while I was sick and still smoking. And how do I protect it and take care of this baby with these special needs."

Sister Anne's face only became more attentive as she listened. If she felt any disappointment in Evangeline's words, she hid it well.

"Special needs? Like your eyes?"

"No, this is just hyper-pigmentation disorder or something like that. Um…it's a family thing on her father's side. But it seems like this child has a difficult and painful destiny and that's not what I want for her. I don't know what to do. I don't know how to take care of her and I don't know how to raise her to be happy," she let out a deep sigh. Suddenly, her chest felt lighter and she was trembling slightly.

"I wasn't expecting you to unload that much," the nun said. She placed her hand over Evangeline's. She could feel its warmth even through the glove. "If you have this child now, it was meant to be. And if things are meant to be then there is a way for them to work out as long as you have faith. Giving up is the worst thing you can do."

"I'm so sorry I just said all that. You were just the first person I felt would listen and you aren't expecting me to have this child…." She sighed again.

"Well, tomorrow I will tell you all about my problems. Would you like to meet for coffee? Or something decaf in your case," Sister Anne asked.

"Can you leave? I thought nuns stayed in the church and everything."

"You were raised in a cult. I actually live in an apartment down the street and I can leave the church because I'm not a cloistered nun, just a regular one," she said with a laugh.

"I'd like that. There's a place across the street that looks nice."

"Around two?"

"I think that will work," Evangeline stood up and edged her way out of the pew. Her knees were stiff from sitting. She began to walk towards the doors of the church then turned to face Sister Anne.

"Thank you," she said. The young nun smiled and waved as Evangeline walked into the cold air.

Sister Anne folded her hands and bowed her head. _Oh Angelus, I shall do your biding._

##############

Vergil watched the door slide open and for a moment, saw nothing in the darkness. Then with the creak of metal on metal, three forms emerged, their hulking mass filling the large entrance. They looked like giant suits of armor built for demons. Instead of ending in gloves, the arms ended in metal talons, the helmet topped with massive with horns, and the leg joints reversed like that of an animal. In unison, the suits stepped forward and he realized there was nothing underneath as every metal plate was fused together in a continuous line to create a fully sealed suit. The metal was shiny as if they had just stepped out of a factory and reflected the light. Despite their enormity, they moved smoothly but slightly slower than an organic being.

"Vergil!"

He glanced up at his brother who pointed towards the ground. Then he felt the brush of fingers against his coat and the hilt of Yamato. He glanced down at the small, dog-like demon reaching for his sword. In a blur, he gripped the demon around the throat, his vice-like fingers pressing into the veins and sinews of the neck. Its eyes bulged and its tongue rolled out of its mouth before the bone of the spine snapped and its head rolled to the side.

From above him, Dante fired his pistols and Vergil felt a smashed slug slam into his thigh after it ricocheted off the metal demons. Dante continued to fire at the advancing demons, causing Vergil to life his arm over his face to protect his eyes.

"Stop, you idiot!" he screamed at his brother. The firing stopped and Vergil unsheathed Yamato.

He dropped it to his side, and with a yell rushed forward, bringing the sword up and past as he did. The metal of Yamato scraped against the body of the demon but did not pass through. As he came behind the demon, he felt a tug on his sword slightly behind him after the attack. He quickly pulled it away and leapt into the air, bringing Yamato down with full force on the horned helmet.

The demon reached up with one hand, and stopped the sword in its grip. Vergil felt as if his arms would shatter to pieces with the sudden force of the stop. With one hand, the demon twisted the sword and shook, causing Vergil's numbed arms to lose their grip. In a moment, he was panic stricken with his empty hands. Without thinking, he threw himself on the back of the demon holding his sword.

As the demon tossed its head violently to remove him, Vergil tightened his grip, digging into the plates on the demon's shoulder. His feet came off the ground and he saw Dante attacking one metal demon and the other lifting its fist above Vergil's demon. He let go and rolled into a standing position just as the demon brought its fist down, creating a large dent in the demon, separating a shoulder and chest plate which opened to exposed gears. Inside, a blue light pulsed steadily inside the belly of the beast.

Vergil leapt again at the demon, reaching into the chest gap. The moving shoulder and neck pinched his upper arm and his fingers were torn by the moving gears inside of the demon. He grasped blindly, one arm holding onto the horn to keep in place. His hand felt something hot and wrapped his fingers around it and pulled. The demon immediately stopped and the glowing blue orb in Vergil's hand vanished.

He reached for Yamato, still in now lifeless demon's hand, but his vision burst into stars as a metal fist came down on the back of his head. He shook his head clear and grabbed the hilt of Yamato, pulling it from the demon's grasp, ducking and rolling to avoid another hit from the second demon.

Examining the demon, he saw a narrow, two inch gap between the back of the demon's neck and the body. He launched himself from his crouched position, and deftly speared Yamato through the gap. His sword met resistance and the demon stopped moving. Vergil glanced at his brother who had rammed force edge through the demon's torso and was attempting to free it from it from the unmoving body.

"Whoo!" he shouted after his sword was freed and in its holster again. "How's that for a fight!"

Dante punched the air a few times. Vergil just stared at him.

"Alright, so paranoid people can be right once in a while," Dante said with a sigh. "Your arm okay."

Vergil rolled the shoulder which had been inside the demon and it began to throb. Looking at it, he saw blood stains forming on his blue coat; his hand was completely bloodied with small cuts.

"It's fine." He turned towards the entrance and walked inside.

The building was poorly lit by hanging lights and nearly empty. A few crates were stacked around the room, but Vergil could still hear the echo of his boots against the concrete floor.

"You can come out on your own or I can kill you when I find you," he said loudly, hearing his voice repeated back to him. From behind a pile of crates, the round man emerged, his double chins shaking.

"Listen, I just get hired to get things for people. I don't really care about your sword or anything."

Vergil grabbed the man by the front of his shirt and stared him straight in the eye.

"Who wants it?"

"Some guy, he says he works for a puppet maker. He paid me to let those things stand at the door because he knew you would be coming. The little one was mine which I'm very sorry about! I get a bonus if I deliver it but I don't really care about that any more," he stammered.

"The man with the suit?"

"Yeah, a really dandy if you ask me."

Vergil released the man and he fell to the floor.

"Anything else?"

The man stared at the floor, searching his memory. "Yeah, he wanted to know if I played cards."

Vergil exhaled and released his grip on Yamato's hilt. He glanced at Dante who mouthed the word "no." Turning away from the man, he stormed out, thinking of his next move.

"Vergil, wait," Dante called.

He continued walking, his mind occupied by thoughts of his sword and the empty feeling when it was taken from his grasp. _Never again_.

##########

Evangeline flipped another page in her book. The door opened and she heard the stomping of boots heading up the stairs. Quickly, she rose from the couch and followed after, finding Vergil standing in the bedroom, removing his coat.

"You're home. I didn't think I would see you until morning," she said.

He gingerly removed the sleeve from one arm and she saw blood from large tears. Around the wounds, the skin was a deep purple and black from ruptured blood vessels. From a distance, it looked like an armband. She walked over and gently held his arm in place to examine it.

"What happened?" she said. She stopped herself from asking whether he was okay because the result was always a reprimanding glare.

"I was pinched," he replied, lifting it to get a better look.

"Well that doesn't sound very epic. I'd just go with attacked by a bear," she said.

He walked into the bathroom, and she heard the water running. After a few minutes he emerged, the wound clean but still a gruesome bruise.

"They tried to steal Yamato and they knew I was coming," he said. His shoulders were tensed and his whole face was darkened with anger. She could see little wisps of demonic blue rising off of his skin and his skin quivered.

"But they didn't," she said and felt the baby kick. Evangeline stood in front of him and placed his hand over her stomach. The baby kicked again and the anger melted from his face.

"Just don't do anything stupid and they won't get it," she said.

"You seem happy," he said.

Evangeline smiled and the phone rang. She removed Vergil's hand and went to pick it up from the nightstand.

"Hello," she said.

"It's Trish. I think we can meet tomorrow afternoon. What do you think?"

Evangeline thought for a moment.

"That's okay, Trish. I have plans."

"I have those documents. I guess I'll drop them in your mailbox tomorrow."

"Thanks. I'll talk to you later."

She hung up the phone.

"You have plans?" Vergil asked.

"I made a friend when I went for a walk."

"You went for a walk in the cold with the baby?" he said, anger returning to his face.

Evangeline placed her hands on her hips. "The baby is fine. Walking is good for me and you would know that if you ever went with me to the doctor."

Vergil stared at her then sighed, defeated.

"I'll go to the doctor with you."

She smiled and walked over, wrapping her arms around his warm body. His heart beat steadily under his chest and she closed her eyes to listen. He kissed her hair and stroked her back.

_A little faith_, she thought.  


* * *

**_Let me know what you think. Criticism is welcome. Peace. _**


	3. Chapter 3: What Child is This?

**_I do not own Devil May Cry or any of the characters, stories, locations, plots, etc. thereof. _**

**_As always, I thank all those who read and all of those who reviewed. Thank you, thank you. Lots of love. _**

**_Please enjoy. RR. Tell me what you think. Any constructive criticisms. Did you like it?  
_**

* * *

A knock at the door. Vergil listened from his spot in the living room, pausing his polishing of Yamato.

Another knock.

He set Yamato on the couch and walked to the door. Peaking through the keyhole, he saw an identical eye staring back. Briefly, it crossed his mind not to open, but fearing for the preservation of his door, he opened it.

"I told you that you are not to come and interrupt me…ever," he said to Dante.

Dante had his hands stuck in the pockets of his red coat, a manila envelope tucked under his arm. He danced back and forth on his feet.

"Let me in. It's cold even for me."

"No."

"Where's Evangeline?"

"She's not here so you won't find any sympathy."

"You are such an ass. You know when you used to lock me out of the house when we were kids? I beginning to think it wasn't by mistake," Dante said, blowing out a puff of steam.

"It took you over two decades to figure that out," Vergil said, placing his body so that he filled the entire doorway.

"Come on. Your neighbors are watching."

Vergil stuck his head out and saw a woman standing on the porch across the street, staring at them and another in the house to the left, spied between the curtains of her window.

"I couldn't care about what a few humans think."

"Alright, whatever," he handed the manila envelope to Vergil. "Trish said to bring this over for your baby momma."

Dante threw a look over his shoulder then pulled his coat forward slightly to block the neighbor's view with his right arm, and slipped a gun into Vergil's hand with the other.

Vergil stared at it disapprovingly. He hated the feeling of guns and their cold impersonality. His lip turned up in a sneer.

"Trish said that Evangeline seemed a little scared of being alone so she thought this would make her feel better," Dante explained, returning his hands to his pockets after waving to the neighbor. The woman disappeared with a flick of the blinds.

"Leave now," Vergil said and shut the door.

"God, Vergil," Dante said, placing his foot between the door jam and the closing door. "It's about the card game."

Vergil opened the door again and stared at his brother who glowered in the cold.

"I killed a demon at one before. They play once a week and gamble on mystical items and demon slaves," Dante continued. "Lady said she thinks she might know where they will meet next and the next game is tomorrow."

"Then I will see you tomorrow," Vergil said and closed the door. He heard Dante scuttle down the porch and the roar of his car a few moments later.

His eyes fell to Yamato resting on the couch, its metal blade gleaming in even the dim light of the room. From his stomach, rose a hot anger that sent his heart pounding. In his mind, he could picture the blade cutting deep into the flesh of the demon who desired his heirloom. He was nearly giddy at the prospect.

############

"You're a very strange nun," Evangeline said, taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

Around her, various people milled at small tables, drinking mugs of steaming beverages. The robust smell of coffee beans floated around her. The windows of the café were covered in condensation, blurring the figures of the pedestrians walking on the sidewalk.

Sister Anne smiled in response to her comment. Evangeline was struck by how often she managed to smile.

"I'm not a nun yet, but that is what many of the sisters say about me."

"That's not very nun-like."

"They smack when I don't say the prayers right during my lessons. But I spend all my time at the shelters actually helping people. You know I was training to be a nurse? It does no one any good if I just sit around and pray all day," she said.

"You should smack them back," Evangeline replied. She smiled at the image of fighting nuns: a mess of robes and rosaries.

"I couldn't do that. They're my elders," the young nun said, shocked.

"Doesn't mean you can't hit them," Evangeline said over the rim of her cup.

"So how are things? You seemed upset last night," she said, her face immediately switching to concern. There seemed to be no in between to her facial expression, just a sharp change from one emotion to the next. Neutrality seemed nonexistent in her book of feelings.

"Bills. Lots and lots of bills. Another one came in the mail last night and Vergil's job is so…erratic that we can't pay weekly. He doesn't seem to care, though. I think he assumes we can just skip out if we need to, probably because he has never paid a bill in his life."

"What does he do?"

"This and that," Evangeline answered. A customer bumped into her chair, jostling her belly.

"Hey! Watch it!" she snapped. The man looked down and started when he saw her eyes, apologizing with his hands up in surrender.

"Why don't you get a job?" Sister Anne said.

Evangeline looked at her with sheer amazement that the thought hadn't crossed her mind.

"That is a brilliant idea, except that I can't do anything. I majored in Literature but I can't teach and I spent most of my time passed out after college."

Sister Anne's face scrunched in thought. "Do you have any hobbies or experience?"

"I used to dance, and I sang for a while in the show choir." She laughed. "I remember my senior show I took some LSD before I went on and the lights turned into flaming butterflies. I screamed and then I was arrested."

Sister Anne's eyes grew wide.

"What?" Evangeline said. "I'm clean now."

"Well, the church helps out some of the schools and one of them is the art program at the high school. I heard they are looking for a show choir director but can't find anyone with experience. Maybe you could submit an application?" she said.

"I can't actually teach anything."

"It's just a part time position. They probably won't care."

Evangeline pondered it for a moment, rolling the idea through the possibilities.

"I'll ask Vergil," she said. She gulped the final sips of her cocoa. "I really need to get going."

"What are you doing tomorrow night? I'm free."

"Sorry. My friends called and wanted to spend some time with me so I'm going to my brother-in-law's," Evangeline said, buttoning up her coat.

"Call me if something changes," the nun said.

Evangeline agreed and said goodbye. The nun watched Evangeline's fuzzy form pass by the glass of the coffee shop on her way home. A deep frown was set on her round face and she pushed back from the table, her chair clattering to the floor violently.

##########

Evangeline opened her eyes a looked around. The room was dark and empty; the papers she was looking at were stacked neatly on the table. The floor creaked and she looked in the direction of the stairs. A figure stood at the bottom, staring up into the second floor.

"Vergil?"

The figure was gone; she felt a pressure on her stomach. With a shuddered breath she looked down, meeting a pair of blue eyes and sallow face framed by blonde hair. Eva was crouched her feet her hands pressed against Evangeline's stomach.

Eva's mouth opened and closed, mouthing words she couldn't hear. Her mouth opened wider as if she was yelling on mute and Evangeline recognized one word. _Run_.

With a start she woke up, lifting her head off the pillow she had been resting on. She inhaled and exhaled slowly until her heart slowed down to a normal pace. Evangeline glanced at Vergil in the chair across from her. He sat with Yamato across his lap, absently polishing the sword with a soft cloth as he stared at a book propped up on the end table next to him. His eyes would flick back and forth across the lines, and he would occasionally flip the page and take a quick sip of the bourbon next to it before returning to Yamato.

She raised an eyebrow and returned to the papers scattered across her and the couch. She flipped between two documents: his birth certificate and his elementary school record, attempting to figure out the suspicious blank.

"You don't have a last name on your birth certificate," she said. "But it says Sparda on your school records."

"Sparda isn't our last name; it's my father's name. Mother didn't know what to put so she left it blank. When we enrolled in school we needed full names so she decided to call us Sparda," he said, not looking up from his book.

"I guess we'll just go with Sparda then."

Looking at the sheets in her hand, she read the teacher's comments on Vergil. _Anti-social tendencies, quiet, very intelligent but with no interest in other kids besides his brother. Possibly needs special help. _She looked up at him, his face a blank expression.

"Do you remember your father at all?" she asked.

His eyes flickered up from the page and remained on her for a moment before returning to their reading.

"He was large, but considering I was small at the time that's not surprising."

"What was he like?"

"He just wasn't there," he said tersely.

"What did he look like?"

Vergil sighed. "Dante and I look exactly like him. I always remembered him looking human though he always distant. He never showed us his demonic form."

"I've never seen your demonic form," Evangeline said after a moment.

Vergil shrugged. "It's not something you do for show. Since we're asking questions, you've never mentioned _your_ father."

"I never knew my father. He left shortly after me and my brother were born. My mother always said I was a lot like him. Destructive tendencies, inability to remain stable, and bad habits," she replied. "What about your mother?"

His hand stopped polishing Yamato. "She was extraordinary."

"Who are you more like?" she asked.

He looked up from his book finally, his eyes hard as he locked on to Evangeline's gaze. He noticed that the demonic essence was darker so that her eyes had become green orbs floating on top of a dark pool of ink. She stared back unflinching, but a small spot of worry clouded her brain as she wondered if she asked too much.

"You're wondering what kind of parent I will be," he said.

"I'm wondering what kind of parent I will be. I've always been unstable and without direction," Evangeline said quietly. "I rely on how steady you are, and I don't know if she can rely on me…"

"You'll be fine. I would say surviving hell makes you an exceptional person," he said and returned to his book, abruptly ending the conversation.

"What are you looking for?"

He growled slightly at the interruption. "I'm looking for a puppet maker."

"I think you would have better luck with a phone book."

Vergil gave her a withering look and shut the book. Suddenly, she felt a pain in her side and it became difficult to breath.

Vergil shot out of his chair and to her side.

"Is it the baby?"

"Yeah it's the baby," she pressed her fingers into her side. "The heel is stuck in my rib."

He rubbed her stomach and the baby began to move, dislodging its heel. He looked at her, a slight smile upturning the corners of his eyes.

"So what do you think about me getting a job?"

#############

Dante lay on the couch hands clasped behind his head and legs crossed in front of him. From under the magazine placed strategically over his face, he watched Lady assemble a small Christmas tree in the corner. The scraggly pine covered in shiny ornaments and tinsel looked out of place in the darkened corner next to the mounted head of a demon.

The phone rang, and Lady went to answer.

"Devil May Cry. What's the password?"

She nodded a few times and on a scrap a paper scribbled a few notes.

"Alright. Thanks," she said and hung up the phone and sighed.

Dante faked a yawn, stretching his arms wide.

"Who was that?"

"Someone just called about a possible demon attack. We were going to stay with Evangeline tonight."

"That's upsetting," Trish said, coming down the stairs. "I think she's been lonely."

Vergil opened the door and stepped inside quickly.

"Let's go, Dante," he said. Dante stood up.

"What's the hurry?" he asked as he put on his coat that had been draped over the back of the couch.

Evangeline burst in through the doors, causing one to slam against the wall.

"I can't believe you," she said. "Walking quickly does not mean you can get away from me. I know where you sleep!"

Her eyes were wide with anger, to the point she looked nearly frantic.

"What's wrong?" Trish asked.

"Noth…" Vergil began.

Evangeline quickly stepped in. "He won't let me get a job. Apparently, my job is to stay home with the baby only."

Trish and Lady's mouths fell open and they crossed their arms, glaring at Vergil. Vergil looked to Dante who only raised his hands and backed away.

"What do you mean a woman only has to stay home?" Lady said, descending upon him. He shot an icy glare at the two women, but it seemed to wither under the heat of their anger.

"It's none of your concern," he said. Lady opened her mouth to yell, when Dante clamped a hand over her mouth and smiled.

"Hey, prego. Lady and Trish have a job tonight so can we make arrangements for you somewhere safe?" Dante said.

Evangeline's anger dissolved for a moment, disappointment reading on her features.

"I guess I'll just drive home. I have a friend I can call to come over," she said, remembering Sister Anne's offer.

"Great! Sorry, Evangeline," Trish said.

Evangeline shrugged and headed out the door. Before leaving she took one look at Vergil.

"This isn't over," she said with a point and disappeared outside.

################

Dante and Vergil stared at the squat building hidden in a dark alley away from even the lights of the street. Dante absently counted the pile of bills in his hand, murmuring softly each denomination.

"Are you sure this is it?" Vergil said.

"Nope, but Lady said her contact told her some people with demonic associations play here. Apparently, he lost everything when he played."

"The man that disappeared might not even be here. There must be dozens of places people play cards with nefarious purposes," Vergil said.

Dante stopped counting the money. "God, Vergil. When did you become such a whiner? I got a good hunch about this place."

"Warriors should not go on hunches. They must be methodical and well-planned to defeat enemies. Hunches are a waste of time," he replied.

"Sounds like a coward to me."

"I haven't been feeling particularly brave."

"Why is that?" Dante asked, shocked at his brother's confession.

Vergil looked at him. "Ever since the child, there are so many things I cannot keep up with. Bills the day to day activities. I find it hard to risk myself with so much on the line. I feel weak."

Dante laughed and Vergil glared, angry at the callous response.

"Why is it that I am always the dumb one when you have yet to figure it out? It's humanity that makes you strong. Dad defeated Mundus when he found compassion. I defeated you even though you were always the better swordsman. You broke Mundus' control over you because you remembered your family." He paused. "You escaped from hell because of her. Because you love her. You defeated the infection; it couldn't control you because you cared for her…and maybe me too. She's your humanity and what makes you strong. Demons have never taken over the human world because they are heartless. That will always make them weaker. Don't worry, you'll figure it out eventually."

Vergil pondered his brother's words, but the idea that being human was weak clung to him like a burr. A normal life with normal worries left a bad taste in his mouth. That was a part of the lives of those he despised for so long; he was different.

"Without our demon side we would be weak," Vergil said coldly.

"Whatever. Let's play cards."

Dante barged through the door of the building, Vergil following cautiously behind. As they walked down the hallway, he looked around, checking for any movement. The hallway itself was completely empty and solid wall with only one doorway at the end. Around the frame was the glow of lights and he could hear muffled sounds of speech.

"Dante wait!" he hissed, but his brother had already opened the door.

The small room contained only a worn card table, chairs, and a lamp. Seated around it were various people. One was an older man in a suit flanked by two others who reached into their breast pocket as the two walked in. Another was a woman with yellow cat eyes, smoking a cigarette as she fiddled with her long blonde hair. A man in shabby clothing gave a squeak and pulled his hat over his face in an attempt to obscure his demonic features. A few other humans were there of various statures and apparent wealth. Each seemed to have a companion hovering close by and cards already in hand as they stared at the pile of chips in the middle of the table. And at the head of the table, was the square faced man in the same blue suit with the same slicked back hair: the dandy. His cards were held up to him by a young man who leaned over his shoulder. The dandy smiled at them as they entered while the others stared with shock.

"Who the hell are they?" snapped the older man.

"We got money. I thought we might try our luck. Demons have to have something good, right?" Dante said.

"Those are Sparda," hissed the woman to the others at the table. They stood in silence for a while until it was broken.

"Let them play," said the dandy man. "More money for everyone."

"I better not lose. Might be bad for all of you," said Dante, pulling up a chair. Vergil sat next to him, his hand on Yamato and his eyes on the smiling demon.

#############

Evangeline rushed to the door after hearing a knock. She opened it to the smiling face of Sister Anne.

"Thank you so much for coming," she said, ushering her in.

"It's no problem. I like spending time with you."

"Do you want a drink? I'm thirsty," Evangeline asked, heading towards the kitchen.

Sister Anne followed and let out a sharp "oh" when she saw the kitchen floor. Evangeline looked down and realized that she hadn't cleaned up the mess from the washer. Bits of food were stuck to the floor and the white silt of dried soap clung to the tile like a brushing of snow.

"Oh, yeah. Umm…I couldn't bend down to clean that up and Vergil doesn't clean for some reason. I think he just expects it to happen," Evangeline explained.

"Why don't you let me clean this up for you?" Sister Anne said, already rolling up her sleeves. "Do you have extra towels?"

"I think there are some upstairs," Evangeline said.

She left the nun in the kitchen and walked up the stairs. Inside her bathroom, she began digging for towels that were dingy enough for cleaning in a small cabinet next to the toilet. When she turned around, she saw Sister Anne in the door of the bathroom, holding a glass of water.

"Oh, hi," Evangeline said.

Sister Anne took the towels from her and handed her the glass of water.

"You said that you were thirsty."

"Thanks," Evangeline said and walked past her, drinking from the cup.

She entered her bedroom and began searching for more towels in the hamper with her free hand. Sister Anne emerged behind her, staring. Evangeline watched her from the corner of her eye, uneasy with her hovering.

"I never asked when you were due," Sister Anne said.

Evangeline set the glass down on the dresser, leaning on it briefly as she became lightheaded.

"In about a month," she said, rubbing her eyes.

She began digging through the hamper again then straightened herself, shaking her head. Her vision had become blurry and her limbs felt fuzzy. Leaning against the dresser again, her mind began to drift, no longer controlling her body.

Evangeline felt Sister Anne loop her arms under her shoulders, taking some of Evangeline weight. Slowly, she felt herself pulled towards the bed, her feet stumbling on the floor. Her head it the pillow and she saw Sister Anne staring down at her, her face shifting in her fuzzy vision.

"Wha….what's happening," she stammered, her lips hardly able to form the words.

"Just relax. You rest for a little while. Don't worry, Angelus would never harm your child," she said and disappeared from view.

Evangeline's mind drifted away, dreams mixing with visions of the room and of a nun's smiling face.

################

"Boom! Check it, straight," Dante said, slamming his cards on the table.

Vergil watched his brother grin as he gathered the pot towards him which consisted of chips, jewelry, scrolls, and various other items. The other players threw down their cards in disgust except for the well-dressed demon who continued to smile at the twins.

His eyes went back to the smiling demon as the cards were dealt again. Briefly, he glanced at Dante's cards, a terrible hand. He leaned over and whispered in Dante's ear "bluff." Dante raised the bet on the pile. The woman folded along with the old man while the rest continued.

"I raise one metal puppet," the smiling demon said, placing a small talisman on the table.

Vergil's heart began to beat faster. The demon looked at him and smiled knowingly.

"Oh, a puppet. I always wanted one," Dante mocked.

"A demonic puppet from the puppet maker," the demon said. "Very valuable and very powerful."

Dante glanced at Vergil who met his gaze with an icy glare.

"Maybe you wish to wager your sword?" said the demon.

"I'm sure your master would appreciate that," Vergil hissed.

"You know nothing of my master," the demon said, his smile becoming more sinister.

The other card players began to back away from the table or stare nervously at their companions as the tension in the air grew. Vergil felt as if his entire body were filled with electricity waiting to snap at his enemy.

"That's true, but I would greatly appreciate meeting him face to face," Vergil said, rising to his feet.

The demon glanced absently at his cards. "So how is your lovely mate?"

Vergil's blood ran cold and he stopped drawing Yamato from its sheath. The demon smiled again.

"She's expecting, is she not? Quite a valuable child it will be. I'm sure my master would love to meet your child personally," he said slowly.

Vergil looked at Dante his eyes wide. _That which makes you most powerful_, flashed through his mind. He saw Evangeline clutched in the claws of a demon, screaming.

"I really hope she's okay," the demon said and disappeared.

Vergil ran from the building, changing into his devil as fear took over. The first time he had felt it since he was a child. Whether Dante was following, he could not tell. All he saw was his lover, his child, and his entire life bloodied and destroyed.

##################

Evangeline felt a prick on her arm, her vision filled with black spots. She couldn't tell how long she was struggling out of unconsciousness, but at moments it felt like hours. After a while, pain spread through her abdomen as her body experienced the first contractions. Slowly, her vision began to clear and she felt pressure in her pelvis then the rush of warm liquid down her leg. The contractions became worse.

She lifted her head and saw Sister Anne sitting at her feet, propping her legs up in a bent position. Sister Anne smiled when she saw Evangeline awake.

"Why?" she murmured to the young nun.

"Angelus asked me to deliver the child. He said I would receive such a reward for it. I just couldn't wait so I induced your labor. I was worried there when you said you were with your friends, but I made a phone call and fixed all that. They can't resist chasing demons can they?" she said. "It shouldn't be much longer now."

Evangeline gasped for breath between the growing pain.

"De…demon," she said.

"Oh, I know Angelus is a demon and that you and child are too. He came to earth and led a wooden army against the invading forces, thus, becoming a saint. People are so fooled by the wings, but I know better. He told me when I was a little girl that I would be needed one day and he was right. Before you walked in to the church, he said that you would come and I have been called to do his bidding," she said, laying down towels on the bed.

"My baby," Evangeline sobbed. Her head fell back on the pillow and she cried out in pain. Her entire abdomen felt as if it were being ripped apart.

"What do you care? You never wanted it any way," the nun hissed. She switched to a smile. "Oh, you're fully dilated. You're going to need to push soon."

Evangeline's mind was a blur. All she could think of was the pain tearing through her body. Her hands grasped the bed, trying to pull herself away from the nun. She grabbed the edge of the bed frame, her hand hitting something metallic and hard.

Sister Anne stood up and walked to the bathroom. She heard the rush of water. Carefully, she pulled the gun given to her by Dante from its spot wedged between the mattress and the bed. Her hands shook violently and the gun nearly slipped from her fingers. The nun exited the bathroom, carrying a large bowl of water. She halted.

Sister Anne's eyes grew wide when she saw the barrel leveled at her. Evangeline fired one shot and Sister Anne fell back without a sound, the water pouring down her front and mixing with the blood gushing from the wound in her chest. With a thud, the dead body hit the floor.

Evangeline dropped the gun and dragged herself from the bed. Swinging her legs over the side, she stood only to crumple to her knees on the floor. The pain grew worse and a heavy pressure pressed against her pelvis. She climbed to her feet, trying to reach the floor only to remain stuck in a squat as her entire body became paralyzed with delivery.

Without thinking, she pushed feeling the weight push lower and lower into her pelvis. Blood rushed down her legs and onto to floor. She grabbed the edge of the bed and screamed.

##################

Vergil kicked the door in, shattering it into splinters of wood. His heart beat against his chest, threatening to burst out. He looked around the rooms, lit but empty. Dante rushed in behind him.

"Evangeline!" Vergil yelled.

They heard a faint cry, a soft wailing that rose and fell from upstairs.

"Is that a baby?" Dante said.

Vergil ran up the stair and into the room. On the floor he saw a nun with a bullet wound in her chest, a pool of blood surrounding her corpse. He saw a hand on the bed and rushed to the other side where Evangeline was collapsed against it, her lower body covered in blood. She inhaled shaky breaths, her skin covered in sweat and convulsing and her eyelids fluttering weakly. Next to her was a tiny bundle of blankets, smeared red with blood.

He leaned down and gently removed part of the blanket, revealing a pair of tiny blue eyes. The baby cried out; its tiny fists pressing against the blanket. He was frozen, staring at his child born in a nightmarish scene. His hands hovered over the tiny baby, unsure of what to do.

"Vergil!" Dante shouted and grabbed his coat, snapping Vergil out of his stupor. "Take the baby. We need to get to the hospital."

Dante reached down and covered Evangeline with his coat, scooping her limp body into his arms. Vergil lifted the baby with shaky hands and cradled it in the crook of his arm. The baby quieted and stared at him staring back. He followed after Dante, his eyes switching between his child and its mother, his soul torn between joy and sorrow.  


* * *

_**Thanks for reading. ****RR. Peace!**_


	4. Chapter 4: Persephone

**_I do not own Devil May Cry or any of the characters, plots, locations, stories, etc. thereof. _**

**_Thank you to the readers and reviewers. I hope your holidays are shaping up nicely. _**

**_Genuinely, I am curious to know what people think or if there can be improvement, so please tell me your thoughts. _**

**_Enjoy. Peace!  
_**

* * *

Inhale.

Everything in the room seemed to be moving very slowly. Doctors and nurses walked by the small waiting area, not even glancing in. Around Vergil, worried faces, mostly male, stared at the floor, their hands, or into space but never at each other.

Exhale.

He was a part of this small group of miserable souls, silent for no other reason than there was nothing to say. Vergil rested his face in his hands, breathing slowly to calm his raging heart.

A nurse had sat him there after he had burst into the hospital, demanding that the doctor come immediately. The nurses had looked around for security officers before seeing the small bundle in his arms, and Dante carrying the unmoving Evangeline. Suddenly, the world became a blur as they carted Evangeline away to the operating room where they refused to let him follow. He clutched the child to his chest as a tiny nurse tried to take it from his arms. He couldn't bring himself to let go of the crying infant. Dante had to hold his arms as the nurse took his child away.

Dante held him for a long time, until he stopped struggling and kneeled on the floor. When he was calm, the nurses took him to the natal care unit where he sat with the other worried fathers. He didn't even know if Evangeline was still alive.

Then the cops came, questioning them about Evangeline's state. Vergil remained silent while Dante left with them to go to the house.

And he was alone.

Inhale, exhale.

"Mr. Sparda?"

Vergil's head shot out of his hands.

"Yes."

The young doctor smiled. She had a warm face with red cheeks.

"I could tell it was you. The baby is definitely yours."

Vergil stood up and walked to where she was standing. His legs felt weak even after sitting.

"How's my child?" he asked. His voice cracked slightly, and he wondered whether he truly wanted to know for fear of the answer.

"She's doing just fine. A little small from being born early, but perfectly healthy. We're trying to keep her warm and are running a few tests, but I think she's going to be just fine," the doctor explained slowly.

"She? I have a daughter," he said. A weight was lifted from his chest with the news and he felt as if he could breathe again. He ran a hand through his hair, fighting the urge to embrace the doctor bearing good news.

"A six pound little girl," she said. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Can I see her?" he asked.

"Not right now, but they called down from the OR and said that your wife is out of surgery. They brought her the maternity ward to recover. You should head down the hall to see her."

The doctor left him and located the sign for the maternity ward. He walked down the hallway, arriving at the nurses' station.

"Evangeline Sparda," he said to her. She pointed him to room 6B, and he hurried to it. As he approached, he saw two police officers standing outside her door, speaking with a doctor. After a moment, he recognized the doctor as the same one who had treated Evangeline after her infection.

The doctor spotted Vergil as he approached and motioned him to the side. When they were out of earshot of the officers, she began speaking.

"She's doing just fine considering. Forced labors are very dangerous especially so early, so she had massive bleeding, but surgery took care of that. Mostly, it was shock. They ran blood work and found traces of a sedative and the inducing medicine. Really, she's is lucky to be alive, again," she said, staring at him with hard eyes.

"I want to see her," he hissed, eyeing the policemen.

"This is the second time in a year she has come in nearly dead, and she has obvious signs of some kind of abuse. They're suspicious as to why there is a dead person in your house and about how your wife ended up like this, if she actually is your wife. Until they get her statement, they won't let you in," she snapped back.

He glared at her as if she were merely an object in his path. She glared back, not flinching away from his cold gaze.

"Be honest with me," she said. "Are you…different?"

Vergil blinked once and she lowered her gaze, knowingly staring up at him. The question, _are you a demon?_, read in her face. He nodded slowly, and she looked around, assuring herself that no one was listening.

"Don't look so shocked. Demon's aren't that good at hiding and I have seen a lot working in a hospital. Now, next time there is a medical emergency, you need to call me directly instead. If your child is sick, you get me, not a pediatrician. We don't need someone else finding out now do we?" she said.

He nodded. _Clever human_, he thought. Vergil returned his eyes to the door of Evangeline's room, anxiety mounting.

#################

"I told you. I met her at a church and I thought she was nice so I invited her over. She drugged me and tried to take the baby so I shot her," Evangeline repeated from the bed.

Her lower body was stiff and sore from delivery then from the surgery. As soon as she had woken up, the cops had started questioning her about what had happened. She shook the entire time, unsure of what had happened to her child or where Vergil was.

"Do you have any enemies? Was your husband there?" one cop said, holding a small notepad.

"No, god dammit! I don't know why she did it. She was crazy! You said it yourself you found the stuff she injected me with. Now I want my husband! Why won't you just leave me alone," she shouted.

Suddenly, tears began pouring down her cheeks and her entire body convulsed with sobs. Over and over she saw the nun smiling at her as she manipulated her helpless body. The cops just stared at her, and with a yell she reached over and threw the phone sitting next to the bed. They quickly vacated the room, and she buried her face in the pillow, crying in pain from the physical exertion. Feelings of shame surged through her over and over again as if she were caught in the tide of a storm. She felt her stomach, no longer able to feel the movement of her child.

A hand brushed back her hair and she reached for the familiar grasp. Rolling over, she saw Vergil looking down. She pulled him down, wrapping her arms around him to feel his solid flesh. Exhaling, the feelings slowly drained out of her until she felt as empty as her womb.

"You're fine now," Vergil said. He held her close, relief replacing anxiety.

She pushed away. "It was a demon who wanted the baby. She said his name was Angelus…and I just didn't want to be alone. I did something stupid again."

"You couldn't have known," he watched her hysterical face, streaked with tears. Her eyes darted wildly around the room as if searching for a hidden enemy. He grasped her face between his hands.

"Listen. Our daughter is fine," he said sternly.

"I told you it was a girl," she said after his words sunk in, new tears flowing. He smiled briefly and kissed her: her lips trembled.

"I almost lost the baby. I can't protect my baby," she sobbed, burying her face in his shoulder.

Vergil could only pat her back, unsure of what to do in the unfamiliar situation. He had never seen Evangeline cry like that; even in hell, she had maintained some amount of composure. At that moment, she was like a limp doll in his arms: broken and weak.

"Well those are post-pregnancy hormones if I've ever seen them."

Evangeline looked the doctor who had her hands tucked into her white lab coat. She frowned at her, her eyes slightly amused by the spectacle.

"She's okay?" Evangeline asked.

"Congratulations. You successfully delivered a baby all by yourself and killed a nun. By the way, your family is waiting downstairs. The nurse won't let them up until you've had some time with the baby," the doctor said briskly and left.

Vergil turned to Evangeline, his face suddenly demonic in its malicious intent as he thought of the dead woman in his house.

"I will find the demon that did this, and I will make it mourn the day it was spawned from hell," he said with a voice darker than a pit of hell.

Evangeline could see it in her mind's eye and it filled her with joy. She leaned back slowly, her body aching.

A few minutes later, an orderly wheeled in a plastic crib and left after a quick congratulations. Following after, a nurse holding a baby wrapped in a white blanket entered. She smiled at Evangeline who felt her heart sink to the floor. As the nurse handed the baby to her, her body began to shake and she turned away from the tiny face.

"Evangeline," Vergil whispered.

The nurse turned to him instead.

"It's normal after traumatic births," she said in a whisper. She handed him the baby and left the room.

Vergil was frozen again, holding the baby's head in one hand while his other hand cradled the body. She blinked her blue eyes and stared at him. Under the cotton cap, little wisps of white hair peeked out like fragile spider webs. Her face was round, cheeks full, and her tiny fingers seemed perfectly formed. Speechless: for the first time in his life words had left him.

He put the baby in the crook of his arm and watched her tiny mouth open in a yawn. His soul was overwhelmed with joy at the small sight.

"Hi. I'm your daddy," he said, tasting the word in his mouth. "I can't believe I made something as beautiful as you."

He looked at Evangeline's back.

"We need a name," he said to her. She stared at the crib next to the bed, allowing guilt to consume her.

Vergil held the baby silently until she fell asleep then he placed her in the crib. Evangeline stared at the little face with her tiny white eyelashes pressed against her cheeks. The baby's chest went up and down with soft breaths and her mouth was partially open. Peaceful. Then the baby grunted and stretched her arms out of the blanket, the beginnings of a cry.

Evangeline reached her hand out, trying to touch the crib. Vergil gently lifted the baby from its sleeping spot and placed her in her mother's arms. Evangeline touched her soft cheek and the baby began to fall asleep again.

"Persephone," she said.

"Persephone? Like the woman who was taken to Hades?" he said at the uncomfortably prophetic name.

"Her mother saved her," Evangeline said and looked at Vergil's whose eyes remained on the baby. "She was only in the underworld for six months out of the year. A little part devil. Your mother told me the name."

Vergil looked at Evangeline then nodded.

"Persephone it is," he said.

Evangeline smiled at the child, perfectly made despite everything against her. Vergil looked at the mother and child a soft smile gracing his lips as well.

#################

Evangeline was asleep, and Vergil was holding Persephone when Dante walked in, grinning from ear to ear. His brother just stared at the baby, his eyes soft and far away. Dante walked over to his brother and peered at the sleeping baby.

"Do you think father looked at us this way?" Vergil asked.

"I don't know. But I don't think you're going to be like dad," Dante said. "Man she's beautiful. I think we have some good looking genetics."

"She gets it from me," Vergil said. "We named her Persephone."

"Persephone? I hope she doesn't eat a pomegranate," he said.

Silence.

"Can I hold her?" Dante asked quickly.

Vergil glared at Dante from the corner of his eye and brought the baby closer to his body.

"Please," Dante said, clasping his hands together. Trish and Lady walked in, arms filled with toys for the baby, flowers, and a backpack for Evangeline.

Trish opened her mouth to say something then quickly closed it when she saw Evangeline sleeping. They deposited the items on a chair next to the door and walked over to Vergil and the baby.

"Aww. Look at her," Trish said.

"Hold her head. Don't drop her," Vergil ordered and placed the baby in Dante's outstretched arms. He held Persephone like a priceless piece of china, fearing that the slightest pressure would break her.

"Hi there. Look at my baby," Dante said, showing her to Trish and Lady.

"My baby," Vergil snapped.

"Whatever, our baby," Dante shot back. Vergil felt a sliver of jealousy watching his brother hold his daughter.

Persephone opened her eyes.

"Wow. She looks just like you, Vergil," Lady said, touching the baby's hand with one finger.

"I'm your uncle Dante. And this is your Aunt Lady and your Grandma Trish," he said to the baby.

"Why am I grandma?" Trish said.

"Because you look like her grandma that's why," Evangeline said, stretching.

Dante made a face at the baby and Persephone began to cry. He looked around panicked, holding out the baby to whoever wanted to her. Evangeline motioned with her hands to bring the baby over and took her from her uncle.

"Hey, you," she cooed, gently rocking Persephone. The baby squeaked in response and stopped crying.

Trish looked at Evangeline.

"I don't want to be grandma," she said. Evangeline just smiled at the blonde.

"I think she's hungry. Do you think you can vacate the premises?" Evangeline said.

They left the room and gathered in the hallway. Instantly, their expressions became hard with business, the cloud of joy before dissipating.

"I went with the police. The entire story checks out and they cleaned up the house after running the investigation. Apparently, she was a nun. The members of the church said she was a little strange but other than that…" Dante said.

"She must have been planning this or someone was telling her what to do. I mean we were all called out. The tip we got about demons attacking was completely fake and you guys went after the card game. Someone was playing with us," Lady said.

"The Puppet Maker," Vergil murmured.

"We don't even know what demon it is," Trish said.

"Evangeline told me that the nun said was following Angelus. The church she was from was St. Angelus," Vergil said.

"That's where we delivered the reliquary," Trish said. "We should go check it out again."

"I'll continue looking through texts," Vergil said. "I'm staying with them for the time being."

"Well, I guess I'll make sure there aren't any demon's lurking around," Dante said. "Can I hold the baby again?"

"No," Vergil said and walked back into the room.

Evangeline was refastening her hospital gown with one hand as the baby rested in the other arm. She smiled at Vergil.

"If there were any time to say it. It would be now," she said.

"I love you," he said. He walked over and she handed him Persephone. He looked at the baby. "And you of course."

################

Evangeline walked up the stairs, a basket full of clothing in her arms. Everyday they washed clothing and everyday they piled up again and again: a month of nothing but laundry. She stopped half-way up the stairs and yawned. Reaching the top, she peeked into Persephone's room and nearly dropped the basket.

Vergil sat on the floor with his tiny daughter laid on a blanket in front of him.

"Ah boo, boo, boo. Ah boo, boo, boo, boo," he repeated, taking the baby's fist and gently tapping it against her tiny, smiling mouth with every "boo."

She stood watching him for a moment before he noticed she was standing there. Immediately, he stopped smiling and glared daggers at her. Evangeline raised an eyebrow and turned away.

Vergil scooped the baby up from the floor and followed.

"You do it all the time," he said as he entered their bedroom.

"Doesn't mean it's not funny," Evangeline replied, placing the clothes in the dresser. She leaned over and poked his nose.

"Ah, boo, boo, boo," she said, and laughed.

The baby blinked her eyes at her mother, an identical pair to her father's. Persephone was a small clone of Vergil, even taking on parts of his personality in her calm demeanor. For the first week, Evangeline had to kick Vergil every night so that he could feed the crying baby, but after a while she began sleeping through the night. Evangeline doubted it was as easy when Dante and Vergil were infants.

Vergil looked at his daughter.

"Your mother is a terrible woman," he said. The baby cooed.

"You're going to spoil her," Evangeline said.

Vergil just looked at Evangeline and did not answer. She finished putting the clothes away and walked down the stairs.

"You could do something useful like put her to bed," she called up to the bedroom.

"Do you want to track demons instead?" he said to Persephone and followed Evangeline down the stairs.

In the living room, sprawled across the table, were various books, files on recent demon sightings, and scrolls Vergil had found in his research. They had made a permanent home there as he tried to figure out who the Puppet Maker was. According to the church, Angelus was a saint who led an army of wooden soldiers, growing wings as a sign from God. After that, the trail had turned cold and none of his demonic texts made reference to a Puppet Maker or an Angelus. Lady and Trish had gone back to the church to retrieve the reliquary with the supposed feather from the demon in disguise, only to find it had disappeared.

He took a seat in front of the table.

"We're going to keep looking until we find him. Never trust that they are gone unless you see their dead body and even then, don't trust your eyes," he said to Persephone. She yawned. "You'll be an powerful warrior one day."

He grabbed a book he had yet to read from the table and opened it. Persephone coughed, spitting up formula onto his coat.

Vergil lifted the baby away from him and glared at the spot.

#############

Evangeline sorted through the bills spread out on the bed. Vergil continued to flip through the book, growling every few moments next to her.

"Should I ask?" she said.

"It says that half of Mundus' army was demonic puppets, created for him by a servant. That's where it ends. There is nothing about the servant," he said, closing the book.

"Maybe it's not the same demon. Maybe it's a nickname like the 'puppet master' for some new demon," Evangeline said. She lifted up her calculator and showed Vergil the number.

"That's not important now," he said, and snatched it from her hand.

"Vergil, I haven't seen a demon in a month so this is a pressing concern. Please, you need to go do more jobs," she said.

"What are you going to do if the demon sends something after Persephone?" he asked, closing the book.

She glared at him, his words revitalizing her guilt at being unable to protect her daughter.

"You don't even know why they want her. She's just a baby, and we don't know if she will have anything demonic about her. They probably just want to get back at you," she snapped.

Vergil clenched his hands into fists, his gaze like ice at his lover. "I would never put her in danger."

"She's in danger by just existing. If you want to protect her, make sure she has a roof over her head," Evangeline said, jumping out of the bed.

The lights of the baby monitor on the small table next to the bed began to flicker, and the baby's cry went through the speakers. Evangeline ran a hand through her hair and left the room, refusing to look at Vergil.

She walked down the hallway and to the second bedroom. Persephone wailed in her crib. Evangeline looked into the crib, watching her tiny face scrunch up with irritation.

"Hey there. What's wrong? I know you're not hungry," she said, lifting her from the crib. She bounced the baby gently, rocking her back and forth. Glancing out the window, she saw the snow falling. She blinked when she saw a red flicker in the bushes, but there was nothing there.

In the other room, Vergil could hear Evangeline speaking to the baby. He closed his eyes for a moment letting his anger culminate into a mass then dissolve into an icy coldness.

"You wanna look at the snow?" came through the baby monitor.

He sifted through the bills sitting on the bed, his anger completely disappearing as the amounts grew. He couldn't imagine how Evangeline managed to see them everyday and not panic with every approaching due date. Holding them, they seemed like foreign objects he could barely comprehend.

Evangeline entered again and began removing her skirt and blouse for bed. Though she had determinedly lost weight after the baby, the pregnancy seemed to have transformed her body forever. Her hips were wider, creating a soft curve which had not been there before, and her thighs were suppler. Motherhood had made her breasts fuller, completing her more womanly transformation from the thin, shapeless body of before. Even her slightly rounder stomach added to the appeal. He admired her silently, disappointed when she slipped into an oversized t-shirt which had become her bed clothes.

"Stop staring," she said, briefly muffled by the shirt she pulled over her head. "I'm still fat. Need to get back to my fightin' weight."

"It's appealing," he said.

She looked at him. "You are so weird. Maybe I'll be hotter if I get pregnant again."

"I'm in need," he said with a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his lip.

Evangeline smiled and began crawling up the bed towards him.

"That's not a very stoic thing to say. I thought you were in control of yourself," she teased, climbing over his legs to lean over him.

His blue eyes were like hot embers to the cool expression of his face.

"No matter how cold a man is, he will always want it. It's a simple fact," he said, running his hand down her side and resting it on her thigh.

She leaned close so her thin lips were centimeters from his ear. He felt her warm breath tickle the side of his neck.

"Now, I'm not sure if I want to help you with that," she whispered. "You made me mad."

He grabbed Evangeline around the waste and flipped her onto her back. She gasped as he kissed her neck, and clutched the strong muscles of his back. He pressed his body against hers as if trying to meld their flesh together, his body desperate for what she had denied for so long. She forced his mouth to hers and bit his lip, pushing herself up so that she sat in his lap, her legs wrapped around his waist. He pulled her to him, pressing her hips harder and harder against his as his mouth traveled down her chest.

She removed her nightshirt with one swift motion, her demonic eyes burning for him. Grabbing the soft flesh of her legs, he pressed her to the bed again, his hands traveling to her inner thighs as she began removing his pants.

Just then a cry issued forth from the baby monitor, shattering the moment. With a heavy sigh, he pulled away.

"Why are you stopping?" she gasped.

"The baby's crying," he said, pulling his pants up.

"She'll stop and go back to sleep. Please, it's been months," she said.

Vergil reluctantly climbed off of the bed, and Evangeline snorted, grabbing her nightshirt. As she left the room, she pulled it over her head and went to comfort the crying child.

The baby's room was cold, and Evangeline spotted the slightly open window. Looking around, she saw only darkness and the thick cast of shadows in the corners. Her eyes began to burn, and a glowing red figure, hunched in the open closet emerged.

Heart racing, she slowly made her way to the crib and lifted Persephone from it. She grabbed the blanket and forced a smile at the child.

"Do you want your daddy?" she said, and walked from the room.

Evangeline walked into her bedroom, clutching the baby with wide eyes. Vergil saw her and his eyes narrowed.

"There's a demon in the closet," she said in a hushed whisper.

In a flash, he had grabbed Yamato and was out the door. She held the baby close, listening to the sounds of shuffling in the other room. When it was silent, she followed after Vergil.

He stood in the middle of the baby's room surrounded by the contents of the closet. Looking around, she saw no body of slain demon.

"Did you get it?"

Vergil turned around and showed her his hand. Clenched in his fist was a tiny wooden puppet, its limbs broken and snapped from grip and it strings hanging lifeless from it.

"Put the baby in our room," he said, the puppet in his hand clasping it tighter and tighter until the slivers punctured his hand.

Evangeline hands shook as she held Persephone who had become quiet in her mother's arms. Vergil stared at them, a dark shadow over his eyes, his face returning to the emotionless mask of before. He walked over to the open window, threw the shattered puppet out, and slammed it shut. Outside, he saw the bushes shake and small figure slink off into the darkness.

That night, he lay with Yamato at his side and watched his child, his eyes never leaving her sleeping form.

* * *

_**Thanks for reading! RR**_


	5. Chapter 5: A Painted Doll

**_I do not own Devil May Cry or any of the stories, characters, plots, etc. thereof. _**

**_Thank you always to everyone who read and everyone who reviewed.  
_**

**_I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. Happy New Year in advance!_**

**_Let me know what you think. RR. _**

**_Enjoy.  
_**

* * *

Evangeline shifted her cold feet in the snow and took a deep puff of her cigarette, letting the smoke sting her throat. She blew out the smoke, watching Trish draw on the baby's window with red paint a large symbol. Trish leaned in close, carefully adding small details, occasionally glancing down on the book precariously balanced on the window sill. Evangeline looked to her left and saw her neighbor staring out the window. The leather clad blonde on top of the ladder stood out amongst the quiet houses and conservative families.

"Are you almost done? My cigarette is almost gone and the neighbors are staring,' she called up to Trish.

Trish did not look up from her work. "Should you really be smoking with the baby?"

"I only do it once in a while and never around the baby. But don't tell Vergil or he'll hide the lighters again," Evangeline said.

"You really shouldn't care what the neighbors think since you won't be here for long," Trish said, creating a small dot to the archaic symbol.

"Why is that? Do you know something I don't?" Evangeline said and dropped the cigarette into the snow.

"I think after a while they're going to realize you haven't aged. So if you have an eighteen year-old and you look like her sister, it is going to be a problem."

"What do you mean?"

Trish glanced down. "Demon's don't age like normal people and they live longer. Sparda looked the same age for most of his life."

"Even part demons?" Evangeline asked.

"Even part demons. If Dante and Lady stay together, they're probably going to have to use some sort of a charm," Trish said.

"Ooh, a thousand years with Vergil. Let's hope he doesn't leave me for a younger woman," Evangeline said with a laugh.

"That should do it," Trish said and carefully made her way down the ladder. "So how are things besides just demons busting into your house?"

"Yeah, speaking of which," Evangeline said, gesturing to the window. "How is that going to keep my baby safe?"

"It's a charm and should keep out most solitary low or middle level demons. With higher level demons and large groups, probably not going to hold up. I'll paint one on the front door too," Trish said, reaching the ground.

"That is wickedly awesome yet not as comforting as I would think seeing as it is just paint on my window. I heard you were going away for a while to learn more of this hoodoo stuff," Evangeline said.

"It's magic not hoodoo," Trish replied. "But yes, I'll be leaving to study."

"Can I do that crap? Let me borrow your book," Evangeline said, reaching for the book in Trish's hand. She quickly pulled the item away from Evangeline's grasping hands.

Trish stared at Evangeline's eyes.

"Your eyes have gotten worse. Not that they were bad, just that it seemed to have spread and gotten darker," Trish said.

"I know. Ever since the baby…"

"It was probably from carrying the baby and sharing demonic essence through the blood."

"How do you people know these things? It is just not obvious to me," Evangeline said, shaking her head.

"It's cold," Trish said and walked towards the back door.

Stepping out of the cold, they stomped their feet on the small rug and walked through the kitchen to the living room. Lady sat on the floor with Persephone in her lap. The baby was dressed in a red velvet dress with a black bow in her light hair.

"Isn't she cute?" Lady said, bouncing the baby. "I got it for her yesterday."

"Aww, look at you," Evangeline said, lifting up her child. "You aren't going to be some devil hunter. No, you are going to be a beautiful princess."

She kissed Persephone's white, wisps of hair. The baby stuck out her tongue and grasped her mother's blouse with her roving hands.

"You better keep the dress with you. I don't know how Vergil would feel about her dressing his little warrior like this," Evangeline said to Lady.

"I will. When is he getting home anyway? I have a guy that wants me to check out his garage for a demon," Lady said.

"I also need to go after I draw the symbol on your door," Trish said to Evangeline.

"I assumed he was with Dante," Evangeline said, slightly curious as to where Vergil actually was. _I hope he's making money_, she thought.

"No, Dante is by himself taking care of a few things," Lady said, stripping the baby down to her diaper. She began dressing Persephone in her footed clothes. The baby kicked wildly, causing Lady to struggle with putting on the legs. She glared slightly at the uncooperative baby who smiled in response.

"Trish can stay with me a while if you want to leave," Evangeline said, grinning at the frustrated woman.

Trish walked outside with her book and paints, shutting the door behind her. Evangeline could hear the soft sound of brushstrokes on the door.

Lady finally was able to finish dressing the baby.

"And Dante wants to have kids! Unbelievable!" she said.

###############

Vergil walked up the steps to his house where Trish was putting the finishing touches on the seal covering the door. She glanced at him and stepped out of the way, eyeing the suitcase he carried. He nodded to her before entering and heading up the stairs.

The stairs creaked as he walked. He peered around the corner of Persephone's doorway, spotting Evangeline sitting in a chair in the corner, rocking the baby with her eyes closed. He entered the room and Evangeline raised a finger to her lips, opening her eyes.

"She's sleeping," she whispered.

He walked over and looked at the baby her arms. Persephone was wrapped in a green blanket her mouth open slightly as she breathed slightly. He gently touched the baby's soft hair, making sure not to disturb her.

"What's that?" Evangeline asked.

Vergil laid the suitcase flat in one hand and opened it with the other. Evangeline's eyes widened as she looked at the neatly stacked bills in the case. Her eyes went back to Vergil.

"Did you rob a bank?" she asked. She stood up with the baby who squirmed once and cried out before falling back asleep. Evangeline placed Persephone in the crib and with a kiss, covered her with the blanket.

Vergil closed the suitcase and walked to their bedroom to not disturb the baby. Evangeline followed behind him and he turned towards her.

"I did a favor for the mob. They gave me fifty thousand to show their…gratitude," he said.

"Fifty-thousand! What did you do?"

"People will give anything when their lives are in danger," he said, flatly.

"Well, as long as they pay you. That should cover several months," she said.

She paused for a moment. "Don't tell Dante?"

"Don't tell Dante," he replied and handed her the suitcase.

"I love morally gray," she said, opening the case and counting the money, calculating the costs in her head. She looked up at Vergil who had removed his coat, revealing his strong arms: his skin seemed like marble in the light of the room. When she saw him, she always felt the urge to reach out to see if he were real and not a statue. She smiled, a sudden idea coming to mind.

"You don't have any particular…appointments coming up, do you?"

"No. Why?" he said.

"Just curious," she replied. The baby let out a wail and he left to attend to her.

####################

Evangeline walked behind Vergil. He had a large baby bag thrown across his shoulder and he carried a baby carrier in one hand with Yamato hung at his side. Persephone was completely hidden by a blanket protecting her from the cold. Evangeline wanted to laugh at the apparent oddity of the image. The action was completely normal, but Vergil doing it made it seem as if he were photo-shopped into his own life.

"I don't know why you insisted on such a large bag," he said, turning his head slightly towards her.

"She's been hungry, so I wanted to be prepared," Evangeline lied. In fact, the baby bag was filled with several days' worth of diapers and an entire can of formula.

His eyes narrowed with suspicion but he did not press it further. Coming to the door of his brother's shop, he swung the door open with one hand and passed the baby through before entering himself.

Inside, Lady and Trish stood expectantly and Dante leapt out of his seat as he saw his brother. Vergil eyed them cautiously, uncovering the baby from her hiding place.

"Here, let me take her," Trish said, walking forward and taking the baby carrier. She removed the knit cap from Persephone's head and wiggled her fingers at her. Evangeline came up from behind Vergil and slid the bag from his shoulder, handing it off to Lady.

"Bags are in the back," Dante said.

Vergil snapped his head towards Evangeline, his eyes like daggers as he realized he had been kept in the dark.

"What's going on?" he growled.

"Oh, calm down. I just planned a short getaway for us. Dante is going to baby-sit," she said, meeting his gaze.

"Dante is not watching my child, especially with a demon after her," Vergil snapped.

"Hey, man. I can protect her as well as you," Dante said, crossing his arms. His rugged face protested his brother's comment with a raised eyebrow and cocky smile.

Evangeline stepped between the two.

"Dante, no you can't. But, Vergil," she said, placing a hand on his arm. "Dante, plus Trish, plus Lady, are almost as powerful as you and will keep her safe."

Trish nodded, bouncing the baby on her hip in her arms. Vergil stared at his daughter whose pale hands reached for strands of blonde hair.

"Stroking my ego won't help you," he said with a low voice.

"Yeah, I should have known that but it was worth a shot. Truthfully, I want some time with you when you're not distracted to do…things," she replied.

He raised his eyebrows at her and she smiled as sweetly as she could. Vergil thought it made her look rather impish. His eyes returned to his daughter then back to his scheming lover, irritation dissipating at Evangeline's plea for time alone. _Just like a human_, he thought.

"I know. Demons don't take vacations, but you could at least humor me for two days. It can't be that hard to do," she said. She pursed her lips, no longer smiling.

"You will complain if I don't?" he asked.

"Until your ears bleed," she said smugly.

He sighed and she smiled with victory, heading into the back room for the bags. Vergil held out his arms to Trish and she brought Persephone to him. He cradled the baby in his arms, kissing her soft curls. Vergil brushed her hair with a finger and she grasped it tightly in her small grip. He glanced at Dante.

"We have everything she needs even a crib. I'll take good care of her. Better than you take care of Yamato," Dante said, trying to reassure his brother.

Vergil gaze turned to ice and Dante wondered if he would trigger.

"If anything happens to her, I will kill you, painfully," Vergil said.

"Deal. If anything happens, you can kill me. I'll even hold still," Dante said with a smile.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure nothing happens," Lady said.

Evangeline emerged from the back with a rolling suitcase and a bag. "Alright, let's go."

She walked the suitcase over to where Vergil was holding Persephone. She smiled at the baby and kissed her on the cheek.

"I love you, Sephie," she said. Her smile faded when Vergil handed the baby back to Trish. She watched the blonde rock Persephone who had begun to cry.

"Let's go, dear," Vergil whispered to Evangeline, tucking a red curl behind her ear. "This is what you wanted."

She glared at him. "Oh, shut up."

####################

Vergil climbed from the car, skeptically examining the house in front of him. It was a low, wooden bungalow nestled amongst the snow topped pines. Back from where they had come was the visitor's center and spaced out every fourth of a mile along the road were more bungalows. In the distance, a brightly lit building that Evangeline had said was the restaurant and general reception area was visible.

"We can probably go to dinner in a few hours and I think there might be dancing," Evangeline said, pulling the bag from the trunk of the car.

Vergil looked at her struggling with the suitcase in the snow. She smiled at him only to be met with only an expressionless stare.

"Clearly, I have let my affections for you get the better of my judgment. I can only assume it was made worse from your bearing of my child. We should leave," Vergil said. Evangeline shoved pass him and to the door, taking out the key to open it.

"It's just a vacation, Vergil. Lot's of people take vacations," she said, pushing on the door until it opened and disappearing inside.

He looked at the car and wondered if he should make his escape and return to his daughter. The trip seemed nothing but a waste of his time. Evangeline reappeared at the door in a black sweater and jeans having removed her coat.

"If you're wondering why I picked this place," she slid her hands up the door frame and leaned out. "It's so that no one could hear us."

With a smile she disappeared again and his mind dredged up several images invoked by her statement. He slammed the car door shut and walked to the bungalow and through the door.

The inside was warmly lit by covered lights revealing a spacious living room with a small kitchen area in the corner. Two large couches sat in front of a fireplace that Evangeline was leaning over trying to start. She turned the switch and the fire began burning in the artificial firewood to give the illusion of the real thing.

Vergil stepped fully inside, tracking snow through the living room and into the adjoining bedroom. There was another fireplace this time accompanied by a large, plush bed on one side. On the other side of the room was tile surrounding a hot tub next to a door he assumed led to the bathroom.

_She certainly isn't shy about letting me know what she wants,_ Vergil thought as Evangeline entered.

"So what do you think?" she asked.

"It's a large room," he replied.

Evangeline snorted in response. She took out a cigarette from her pocket and lit it with a green lighter.

"I thought you quit?"

"I do quit when the baby's around, but I think she's safe from second hand out here," she replied, blowing a perfect ring.

He caught a whiff of the tobacco, something he had not smelled in a long time. He remembered his first months with her and how the smell was a sweet accompaniment to her hair. It was when they embraced that he would smell it, lying next to her in the darkness of their apartment. He couldn't remember the last time they had been alone like that.

Evangeline watched him, noting the subtle changes in the corner of his eyes that let her know he was warming to the idea of the trip.

"I'm going to change for dinner. I packed some clothes for you too," she said, walking to the suitcase on the bed and grabbing a few items.

Vergil just looked at her.

"You dress like a villain reject from a bad fantasy novel. But I can't force you," she said.

He looked at his clothes: the familiar vest, boots, and blue coat. She walked into the bathroom and he picked up the items she had set aside for him. Looking around the room and at the clothes in his hand, he felt momentarily out of place. His mind wandered back to home, to his house, the bills, and his child, and he began removing his clothes to change. A small sacrifice for her. _A small sacrifice for her nearly dying_, he thought.

Vergil was buttoning up the pin striped black shirt when Evangeline stepped out of the bathroom. She placed a hand on one hip, popping it slightly to the side. Her red curls were pulled back, revealing a fitted black dress which showed off her newly acquired cleavage and hugged the hourglass of her waist and hips. His eyes traveled up to her's, the green stood out intensely against the demonic essence surrounding it. They stared at him reminding him of a demon ready attack and enjoy it. He felt the strong surge of desire flush through his body at the sight, a feeling kin to those which overtook him during battle. She knew she had him, and he wanted to dominate her.

She stepped up to him, her finger dexterously finishing the remaining buttons in his shirt. The seductiveness of before had disappeared as he stared down at her soft smile, a single strand falling down the side of her face.

"You look beautiful," he said.

She looked up at him. "That wasn't what it looked like two seconds ago."

"Well, two seconds ago you were trying to seduce me," he said.

She took a step back and looked at him. The black slacks and the button down shirt seemed odd on him, yet suited his form. His slicked back hair added to a more polished look. He looked too normal.

"Do I still look like a reject from a fantasy novel?"

"No, you look like a man taking his wife to dinner," she said. "Luckily, you won't be in them for long."

She adjusted one of her shoes and straightened, smiling.

"So do you know how to dance?"

###################

Dante held down Persephone's legs with one hand and tried maneuvering the diaper underneath her with the other. After struggling for a moment, he let go her legs to attach the diaper, and Persephone began kicking again, wiggling the diaper out of place.

"Stop moving! What? You want to go the bathroom on the floor?" he said, pinning her legs again. Persephone only smiled.

He looked for the sticky tabs and attached the diaper and the baby began to cry. He shushed her gently, looking for the pajama pants she had been wearing.

Lady looked over his shoulder.

"Dante, you put the diaper on backwards," she said.

"What?"

"The sticky tabs attach on the front where the design is," she said.

"Why is the design on the front? What she needs to see a fashionable diaper," he said, undoing his work. "Please little Sparda, don't be a pain."

The baby started kicking again and Dante let out a sigh, watching the crying, kicking baby.

"I don't know what to do?" he said to her and she wailed louder. He slumped his head on the desk, lifting it a second later when the door opened.

"We're busy," he shouted at the young woman who entered.

Her brown hair covered her face, and she moved very slowly and deliberately as if she were in pain. He could see her head swaying as if she were looking around, but could not see her eyes.

"Did you need help?" Lady asked.

"I think a demon is chasing me," the girl said softly.

Lady walked over to her and led her to the couch, calling for Trish.

Dante watched Lady talk to the young girl as Trish joined them. Though he quickly replaced the diaper, the baby continued to cry, her round face turning red with the effort. He lifted the baby and began rocking her, keeping his eye on the speaking women. The girl had yet to lift her head.

"Do you know why?" Lady asked. The girl shook her head.

"Why don't you check outside to make sure there isn't one still lurking around," Trish said, she had a hand on the girl's arm. The girl's skin seemed very smooth and had sheen as if polished. Lady grabbed Kalina Ann from the wall before heading outside.

"Is that your baby?" the stranger asked.

"No," Trish responded. "We're just watching her while her parents are out. You're going to be okay."

The girl nodded, moving her arm from Trish's comforting hand. Persephone continued to cry. Dante moved her to his shoulder, patting her back to try to settle her.

"You have such pretty hair," the girl said, reaching out and running her smooth fingers through Trish's blonde hair. Her movement was still slow as if she were thinking very carefully about every muscle used.

Trish moved away and the girl placed her hands in the pockets of her coat. The girl's head seemed to follow Trish as she moved from the couch to the door to check on Lady.

Persephone continued to cry, sounding in a near panic. Dante moved her back to the crook of his arm; her blue eyes were wide with fright. He looked back at the girl, her face still obscured.

"Let me see your face," Dante said.

The girl looked up and smiled: eyes unmoving and flat. It took him a moment to realize that her eyes were painted on her face like that of a doll's.

Dante leapt up in the air as one of the doors slammed into the desk. Trish lay on the floor, shaking her head to clear her head of the blow to the head by the door. She clutched her bleeding forehead and reached for her gun. Dante drew one pistol, aiming it at the couch were the girl had been sitting, but it was empty.

Through the door stepped a large demon, its hulking frame covered with slimy black skin like a salamander's. It opened its snout to show rows of razor sharp teeth. Trish was on her feet firing. Dante had turned Persephone away from the demon, shielding her with most of his bulk while he fired on the demon with his free hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of movement and saw the painted girl crouched on the floor. As if she felt his eyes, she looked up and slowly crawled towards the demon.

The salamander demon roared and swiped at Trish who deftly leapt back and out of the way. A loud boom sent the demon reeling forward, a large charred circle on its back. Lady stepped over it from behind, placing her boot on its neck, and firing a round from pistol into the back of its skull. The demon's body went limp and began to dissolve into a black puddle of flesh.

"Is everyone okay?" Dante said, walking over to Trish.

"I'm fine. Is she okay?" Trish said, looking at Persephone.

Persephone had stopped crying and was waving her fists in the air. Dante kissed his niece on the forehead, examining her arms and legs for any injuries.

"What about the girl?" Lady said.

All three began looking around. Dante walked over to the spot on the floor where he had seen her crouch. There was only a small pool of blood from Trish's wound; the edge of the pool was smeared by some limb passing through it.

"She's gone," Dante said. "She was just a distraction."

He looked back at niece and brought her close, kicking away some stray pieces of wood. _Vergil's not going to like this_.

####################

Evangeline watched Vergil open the door to the bungalow. She swayed slightly, leaning on him for support.

"Hurry up. It's cold," she said. He pushed open the door, and she stumbled inside after him.

"You're drunk," he said, watching her remove her shoes.

She held up thumb and pointer finger, making a small measurement. At dinner, she had enjoyed quite a few drinks: the first in a long time. Vergil had seemed relaxed even amongst the other couples, talking softly over candle light. However, when it came to dancing, he was content to just stand holding her and allowing her to lead him around. Eventually, she settled for leaning on shoulder and gently swaying to the music.

Evangeline walked into the bedroom followed by Vergil. She laid herself on the bed, and turned to her side to face him. He stood just inside the door, watching her staring at him.

"Thank you for humoring me," she said.

"It was the least I could do," he replied.

"Why do you love me? Aside from the fact that I gave you a child," she asked.

He began unbuttoning his shirt, never taking his eyes from her.

"You were like me: flawed and ever so morally ambiguous. If you're looking for a good reason, I don't have one, but that is the nature of love isn't it? You can't choose who you love."

"I should have thought that would be your answer," she said, crawling towards him on the bed and standing up once she reached the edge. "Romance is not your forte."

"Yes, well, I'm good at other things," he said.

His hand shot out and grabbed her arm, pulling her towards him. His arm snaked around her waist while the other unzipped the dress in the back. She struggled against him, her eyes dancing playfully. Her dress dropped to the floor, and he pulled her against him, catching her mouth in a crushing kiss. She pushed him away, taking a few steps back.

"Show me," she said.

"Show you what?"

"Your devil form."

He smiled, letting the form emerge around him. Evangeline's eyes widened. She reached out and touched his face then grabbed his hand, turning the claw over in her palm.

"Devil," she said with a sly smirk.

He grasped her around the waist and in an instant had her on the bed, transforming back into his human form. Desire filled every cell as he ran his hands down her body: over her breasts, waist, and hips. He could paint a perfect picture with his hands. She wrapped her legs around him and pushed him onto his back. She traced the lines of his stomach, her hands straying close to his desired parts before playfully skipping away.

In an instant she was on her back again, and he had her arms pinned above her. He kissed her, biting her thin lip gently. She helped him remove his pants, feeling his hard member against her. Positioning her under him, his hands wandered to her thighs and she arched her back in anticipation. When he didn't move any further, she pulled him down for a kiss.

"Something wrong?" she whispered, her lips brushing his.

"You said as loud as we want," he said with a smile.

"As loud as we want."

She let out a soft moan as he took her. The night dissolved into that moment: the rustle of sheets and gasps of breath. Their flesh molding together in deep, unbroken passion.

##################

Trish scrubbed at the floor where her blood had pooled, but it had left a dark stain in the wood. Dante held the door in place while Lady worked on reattaching the hinges. With one foot, Dante rocked the carrier where Persephone lay.

"You know, it is really hot how handy you are," Dante said to Lady.

She smiled, twisting a screw into place. The baby grunted and whimpered.

"What's wrong?" Dante said to his niece.

"I think she's hungry. Why don't you make her a bottle?" Lady suggested.

Dante leaned over and kissed her before scooping up the baby carrier and taking it to the kitchen in the back. Lady started tightening the screws, praying the door would stay.

In the back, Dante looked at the bottle and can of formula. He opened the can and shook the contents then looked back to the bottle. Persephone let out a short cry, and Dante peeked his head from the kitchen.

"How do I mix it?" he asked.

"It's on the can, Dante," Lady said.

"She takes eight ounces," Trish added.

Dante disappeared for a moment before reappearing.

"What do I do after that? Cold water? Hot water?"

"Use warm water then heat it up," Lady snapped, her heart jumping when she thought the door was falling down again. She heard the rustle of preparation in the kitchen. Dante stepped out again.

"How do I heat it up?"

"You boil water!" Lady snapped.

"You boil the bottle in the water?" he asked.

"No! For the love of god," Lady growled, and let go of the door. The weight of it leaning ripped of the top hinge. She stormed into the kitchen, shouting at Dante.

Trish chuckled to herself, imagining the family they could possible have.

"I'll have to find my own place," she said to herself.

######################

Evangeline yawned and rolled over. There was a weight around her stomach and she looked down, realizing it was Vergil's arm. She smiled and kissed him; he didn't stir. She climbed from the bed, the cold night air causing goose bumps on her naked flesh.

Quickly she walked into the bathroom, her feet padding across the tiled floor. In the mirror, she smoothed out her mussed hair then poured water into a small plastic cup next to the sink. From the other room she heard the scream of a woman which seemed to rip the air apart.

Rushing out, she gasped as she fell. The bedroom was no longer there, only darkness. Standing in the room was Eva, screaming and yelling at a figure with its back turned. She pulled at her hair, gesturing violently to the other figure. It turned around slowly, Persephone clutched in its arms. The figure was like a doll of Eva; the same body and hair, but her face was painted on in a blank smile.

Rising above the doll figure, a mass of black darker than the darkness around it. It spread its wings, hands reaching for Persephone...

"No!" Evangeline shouted, startling herself from her sleep.

Her chest heaved up and down as she buried her face in her hands. Vergil stirred from his sleep, rolling to see his panicked lover. He sat up, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Bad dream?" he asked.

"Yeah. About Persephone," she mumbled, running a hand through her hair.

"Do you want to go back?" he asked.

"No. It's just a bad dream. Lady would have called if anything happened," she said, not fully trusting her words.

Vergil lay back down, and Evangeline nestled herself on his chest to calm her beating heart. In her mind, all she could see was her daughter until she fell asleep again. Vergil stayed awake, searching through the information in his mind he had acquired for the demon which only showed itself through puppets and servants. His muscled tightened at the thought of coming face to face with it, his sword drawn.

* * *

_**Thoughts and criticisms are welcomed. Thanks for reading! Peace!**_


	6. Chapter 6: Hand in Hand to Hell

**_I do not own Devil May Cry or any of the characters, plots, locations, stories, etc. thereof. I do not own any of Shakespeare's work though Richard III does rock my socks. _**

**_Happy New Year Everyone! I hope this year will be wonderful for all of you!_**

**_Thank you again to everyone who read. And thank you Tora-Katana for your wonderful reviews and stories. _**

**_Enjoy!  
_**

* * *

The sun was high in the sky; its rays beat down the sidewalk turning the ice and snow into small puddles. Evangeline stepped out of the car and bolted towards Devil May Cry. Vergil watched her, following at a more leisurely pace, though inside his own feelings were rushing anxiously. She threw open the doors, looking frantically around the dimly lit room. Her eyes landed on Dante who bolted from his seat.

"Gimme, gimme, gimme," she said, quickly.

"She's upstairs taking a nap," he said, pointing to the stairs.

"Why is she taking a nap? She doesn't sleep until later," Evangeline said as she rushed up the stairs.

Vergil entered just in time to see Evangeline's heels disappear into the upstairs level. He looked at Dante whose eyes darted around the room as if looking for something he had lost.

"Hey, Verg," he said, waggling his eyebrows. "How was it?"

Dante's mouth spread into a wide suggestive grin, though his eyes continued searching the room.

Vergil only smirked at his brother, keeping silent. His eyes scanned the room, looking for anything that may account for his brother's suspicious behavior. The wooden walls were clean, the floor spotless, everything was immaculate, something Vergil had never seen the room look like. His eyes settled on the desk and its shiny new wood.

"Ah, that's what I thought," Dante said with a laugh.

"Is that a new desk?" Vergil asked.

"No. What? Why would I need a new desk?" Dante scoffed. He crossed over to the front of the desk, blocking it with his legs.

"Dante, what happened?" Vergil said, his voice lowering to an icy cold.

"Nothing happened," Dante said; his eyes darted to the left.

"Dante!" Vergil lunged towards his brother, stopping when Evangeline came down the stairs, Persephone wearing white footie pajamas in her arms and a bag slung on her shoulder.

"Look, it's daddy," she said, waving the baby's arm at Vergil. She stepped from the stairs and walked over to Dante. "Thank you so much," she said.

"A demon attacked," Vergil snapped.

Evangeline's jaw dropped and she glared at Dante. "What!"

"What was I supposed to do, it attacked us. She's perfectly fine, not even a scratch," he said.

She smacked Dante on the arm once then, enraged again, continued, finally ending with a swift kick to the shin. Though not harmed, Dante raised his arm in defense nonetheless.

"What the hell! You said nothing would happen," Evangeline snapped.

"Ow, woman! Nothing did happen. It attacked and we took care of it. It didn't even go after the baby," he snapped back.

Vergil cracked a smile at the display of the tiny woman beating his brother into submission. Evangeline wound up one more time before dropping her hand and storming outside muttering in impolite language. Vergil gave Dante one last look before following his angry lover.

###############

Vergil pushed the stroller silently, fuming to himself while slowly picking up speed to outpace Evangeline. It was an unusually warm winter day that suddenly brought on bouts of cabin fever, resulting in Evangeline demanding a walk and presenting Vergil with a bundled baby.

"Vergil, are you going to start running? All I said I said was that you should just go make up with him. It's been over a week and you haven't done anything but read books and find nothing," Evangeline called from about five feet behind him.

He only charged forward without a word. Evangeline jogged slightly to keep up, reaching for the handle of the stroller. She gripped the handle, halting Vergil in his tracks.

"I was angry too, but there really isn't anything he can do if they attack him," she said. He stared back with a cold expression, turning again into a living statue.

"Don't do that. I hate it when you do that," she snapped.

"Do what exactly?"

"Act like you have no feelings. I know something's bothering you so spit it out already," she growled, stomping her foot.

"As angry as I am at Dante for not preventing a demon attack and then lying about it, I'm also angry at you for taking me away and at myself for following. If anything would have happened, it would have been my fault," he said slowly.

"So that's why you've been locking yourself in the study," she murmured to herself. "Why didn't you tell me that before?"

Vergil eyebrows snapped together, baffled that she would ask such a question. She raised her arms in surrender.

"Sorry, it was a dumb question. You don't share your feelings. I'm sorry that we left at such a dangerous time. I will never do it again unless you say so, oh great master of mine," she said and crossed her fingers over her heart.

Vergil started walking again. "You didn't put up much of a fight."

"Well I felt guilty. Just don't expect it to be easy all the time," she said.

They walked in silence, occasionally picking up the tiny bear that Persephone hurled from the stroller. The wind blew in warm, moist air that smelled of wet dirt and decayed foliage. On their backs, the sun was warm and pleasant. Vergil briefly grasped Evangeline's fingers with one hand. She smiled, and when he let go, she let her fingers rest on the edge of his coat.

Rounding the corner, the house came into view and they spotted the mailman just leaving their mailbox.

"Persephone needs a bath," she said to Vergil. Leaning over the carriage to look at the red-cheeked baby, she smiled. "Don't you need a bath, stinky baby?"

Coming to the driveway, Vergil easily scooped the baby up in one arm and snapped the stroller shut with the other. _Devils make excellent nannies_, Evangeline thought, recalling all of her struggles with the contraption. Vergil walked to the door and disappeared inside as Evangeline stopped at the mailbox. Inside rested several letters.

As she flipped through the absently, she noticed her neighbor coming down to check her mail as well. The middle-aged woman had styled her hair so stiffly that it hardly moved in the wind. Her neighbor smiled, but her nose was scrunched as if she smelled something unpleasant.

"How are you?" Evangeline asked.

The woman started and looked around before realizing Evangeline was speaking to her.

"I'm fine. How are you? I know the cops were at your place about a month ago," the neighbor asked.

Evangeline smiled, but her brow was furrowed at the passive-aggressive greeting.

"Yes, yes they were. But things are fine now."

"You have a child. I see your husband around, but he doesn't say much," the woman said, eyeing Evangeline.

"No, he usually doesn't."

"What does he do?"

"Oh, this and that. He works with his brother," Evangeline responded.

"The man in the cowboy boots and red coat?" the woman said.

"Wow, you are observant. Yes, the man in the red coat. They're twins," she replied, pretending to read the letters in her hand.

"What church do you go to?"

"Oh I don't go to church. Last time I did I nearly died," she said with a laugh. The woman only stared, and Evangeline cleared her throat.

"The symbol on your window and door apparently. I was just wondering."

"Oh, those. Well my baby's aunt is very religious and thought the symbols would protect her."

The woman "hmphed" and walked away, her mail tucked under her arm. Evangeline heaved a sigh and entered the house, closing the door behind her. After kicking off her shoes, she went to the kitchen and filled a pot with water then placed it on the burner.

With stocking feet, she made her way up the stairs, stopping right before the bathroom next to the baby's room. The sound of splashing water reached her ear as she listened to Vergil speak. Slowly, she eased her head around the frame. Vergil had removed his coat and rolled up his white sleeves to the elbow. He propped Persephone up with one hand in the bathtub while holding a small, blue toy shark with the other.

"When fighting an enemy under water the first thing you should know is to never do it. If they are an aquatic demon, they have the advantage so the first thing you want to do is get out of the water and strategically plan how you will take them down, otherwise…" he made the shark nibble at Persephone's toes and the baby squealed in response, kicking her legs and arms. Dropping the shark, he poured a small cup of water over Persephone's head, shielding her eyes with his hand.

"You know I can sense when you are there?" Vergil said. He turned his head slightly; his blue eyes held a mischievous glint.

Evangeline smiled and stepped into the bathroom. "Yes, well, it doesn't hurt to try. I had a conversation with the neighbor."

"Which one? The stalker next door or the spy across the street?" he asked. Persephone brought her hand down in the water sending a splash onto Vergil's pants. He splashed her back gently with two fingers.

"The stalker next door. I think she thinks we're devil worshippers."

"I could hardly care what a menopausal human female thinks of me," Vergil said and poured some baby shampoo into a washcloth and gently running it over Persephone's hair. After rinsing her off, he grabbed a hooded towel from the rack and lifted Persephone from the tub, wrapping the towel around her. Evangeline smiled at the two and walked forward, standing on her toes to give Vergil a kiss.

She heard the sound of water boiling over and darted down the stairs.

"Shit! Supper."

###############

Dante sighed and dropped his magazine to the floor. Vergil was ignoring him, Lady was doing a job, and Trish was off somewhere for a few more days with some priestesses learning new tricks and spells. The sun was just beginning to set and he wondered briefly where Lady was, having left over four hours ago for some minor thing.

He stood and stretched, meandering over to the jukebox. Kicking it, the jukebox began playing and he grabbed the nearest weapon. He swung the sword experimentally before leaping and slashing at invisible enemies.

"Yeah, you want a piece of this!" he shouted, jumping into the air and bringing the sword down.

As he swung the sword back around to parry the imaginary attack, the door slammed open. He stumbled for a moment as the weight of the sword dragged him forward.

"Geez, Lady. What's the big deal?" he said, regaining his balance.

Lady's eyes were wide and she rushed forward, pulling on Dante's arm.

"We have to go! They have Trish," she shouted, tugging harder.

"Wait, wait. Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes. I was following up on a demon attack. There was huge group of them dragging her away. I attacked one of them, but they got away," she said.

"She wasn't supposed to be back for another day or two," he said, removing Lady's hands from his arm.

"I don't know, maybe she left early, but I am sure it was her. I even heard her call for help," she said. "We need to find her."

"We need as many people as possible. Call Vergil," Dante said, grabbing Force Edge.

Lady ran to the phone and frantically began pressing numbers.

#################

"Vergil. Lady's on the phone," Evangeline called from the kitchen.

Vergil sat Persephone in her swing and walked to the kitchen, taking the phone from Evangeline; she returned to stirring the sauce in the pan. Vergil held the phone to his ear then pulled it away; the sound of Lady's yelling was faintly audible even to Evangeline.

"I'll be there," Vergil said and hung up the phone. He walked up the stairs and after a moment returned with Yamato.

"You going to tell me what's going on?" Evangeline asked.

He walked up to Evangeline and took a hold of her elbow.

"Trish has been taken; we're going to go find her. Stay indoors. I'll be back as soon as I can," he said.

"Trish was taken! Is she okay?" she asked, worry mounting.

"I don't know, but the longer we wait the more likely she will die," he said. "Stay safe. Run if you need to."

He kissed her on the forehead and, in a flash, was out the door. Evangeline turned off the stove, rushed over to the door and locked it before picking up Persephone from her swing.

"Goo," Persephone sounded.

"Goo to you too. It's just going to be you and me," Evangeline said and kissed her daughter. She settled onto the couch, keeping her eyes on the door, very aware that she was alone.

###################

"You're sure this is where you saw them?" Dante said.

"Of course I'm sure," Lady snapped.

They were surrounded by massive stone buildings and pipes: the complex circuitry of a factory. The buildings were abandoned for the most part, used only for storage. Shadows in the twisted shapes of steam pipes and silos covered the ground in a complex maze of darkness. The faint smell of oil hung in the air.

Lady walked over to one of the pipes and pointed to a jagged hole.

"See, this is where my bullet went in."

"They must have taken her further into the factory. Fewer people to interfere," Vergil said, eyes scanning the darkness.

"How many did you see?" Dante asked.

"About fifty, but there may have been more," Lady said.

"Dante stay with Lady. We'll split up, see if she's still here," Vergil said, he pointed at a low building surrounded by pipes attached to the massive main facility that he assumed was the processing center for whatever they created. He walked towards the main facility, sliding between the double steel doors without a sound.

Inside the first doors was a hallway filled with offices. He quickly passed the small rooms heading towards a second set of double doors at the end of the hallway. The doors led to the massive concrete heart of the factory. Around him were giant machines, rusted over having become nothing more than massive gravestones of industry. Pale light streamed through the windows set high in the walls, casting twisted shadows. Several tools and scraps of material lay scattered on the ground. As he approached the scattered remains, he carefully stepped over them to avoid making a sound.

His eyes scanned the area around him, filtering the different images and movements, distinguishing enemies from benign happenings on the floor, ceiling and walls. Listening closely, his ears strained for any sound that would indicate a demon's presence. He slunk in the shadow of the machinery against the walls, keeping himself out of sight. The room was silent and dead save for the occasional sound of settling metal.

After a while, he reached the end of the large room and came to another set of doors. Peering through the smudged window of the door, he saw a smaller room filled with rusted equipment. The room round in a corner leading to another part of the factory. He pushed open the swinging door and stepped inside.

From around the corner, he saw the flash of bullets and heard the ricochet against metal. Darting through, he ran down the narrow room coming to another room where he could make out the shape of Dante firing on a barrage of demons. Around them were the pipes and cylinders of some sort of processing or chemicals. The demons were tall and thin, their skin barely stretching over their skeletons, the skin of their faces pulled so tight that their heads resembled skulls. At the end of each arm were hands the size of manhole covers, each finger tipped in a deadly claw. They leapt around Dante, reaching out to swipe at him. One nicked his head, and he stumbled for a moment before drawing his sword. Scanning the room, he saw Lady crouched in the shelter of fallen pipes, firing against the demons.

Vergil ran and leapt, kicking off a giant cylinder to land on a demon reaching for Lady. In one swift movement he stabbed the point of Yamato into the demon's head. Hot, black blood sprayed up onto Vergil's hands and he stepped off of the fallen demon, swinging Yamato to the right and into the incoming torso of another skeletal demon. Lady fired over his shoulder, falling the demon lurching up behind him.

Lifting his hand, he cast frozen blades at a running demon, severing its spine. He ran forward, lifting the blade slightly at his side and removing the legs of a group of demons waiting for their turn at Dante. With a whoop, Dante brought his sword down on two demons, sending a cascade of blood onto the floor.

"Dante! Get Trish!" Lady screamed, pointing to a small room off to the side.

Dante ran into the room, knocking over several boxes stacked inside. Lady stepped from her hiding spot and brought Kalina Ann to bear on the demon's rallying in front of them. Vergil leapt backwards, landing behind Lady as she fired a missile, decimating the group. Vergil rushed forward eliminating the stragglers with a few slashes of his sword. He scanned the room for any strays before walking to where Dante was attending to Trish, kicking a writhing demon in the head as he passed it.

Lady ran to join him and they entered the dark room together. It was small, about twenty feet by twenty feet, and stacked with brown boxes. Dante knelt in the back, Trish limp in his arms. He shook her gently trying to rouse her.

"She's not waking up," Dante said. Lady knelt down next to them, brushing back Trish's hair.

Vergil looked around the room, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. _The demons were weak_, he thought.

"Trish should have been able to handle the demons," Vergil said.

"What?" Dante said.

Behind them, the metal door from the ceiling rumbled down. Vergil whirled around and saw a glimpse of the demon in the suit smiling on the other side as the door slammed shut. Vergil rushed at it hitting what felt like a wall of electricity as he pressed his hands against the metal door. From the walls sprung glowing red symbols, crackling with energy.

"What the hell! Trish?" Dante shouted.

Vergil turned around and saw Dante and Lady backing away from the blonde rising to her feet. She lifted her head and Vergil saw that her eyes were unmoving, painted on like that of a porcelain doll. Her lips twisted in a wicked smile as she lunged towards Dante.

"Dante, that's not Trish," Vergil shouted. Dante lifted a gun and fired a single bullet into the doll's head, sending it clattering to the ground.

"Dammit!" Dante shouted, kicking the wall which sent him reeling backward.

"What are these?" Lady asked, reaching out her hand to the wall but withdrawing it before her fingers touched it.

Vergil felt his body trembling, his insides churning.

"Their sigils. They create a barrier we can't pass," Dante growled.

Vergil inhaled and exhaled, clenching his fists. Then it felt as if his mind as snapped and all he saw was black as he flew at the walls. The electricity from the symbols surged through him, searing his fists as he pounded on the door. He drew Yamato and a single strand of electricity snapped out and sent him stumbling backward before the sword ever reached the door. He felt Dante grab him around shoulders in a bear hug and pull him backward.

"Verg, calm down. We'll get out," Dante said.

Vergil tore himself away.

"Don't you get it!" he shouted, grabbing Dante's collar and bringing his face close. "They tricked us. They're going after my child."

################

Evangeline picked up the colorful book that Persephone had knocked out of her hands and continued rocking in the chair, flipping back to the original page.

"Little stinker," she said, readjusting her daughter. Persephone tugged at her mother's red hair and kicked wildly, creating random sounds with her mouth.

"And the cow went back to the farm and said moo," she continued reading.

There was a slight clatter downstairs and she paused for a moment to listen. There was only silence.

"And the cow said moo to the farmer…."

A screech echoed through the house and she heard the slam of something heavy against the door. She brought Persephone close and cautiously made her way down the stairs. Her eyes began to burn and she saw what appeared like a red wall overlaid over the existing wood. Something slammed into the door again and the shadows of arms outside of the window next to the door twisted in the darkness.

Evangeline darted up the stairs and into her bedroom. Behind the door she crouched and pried open the piece of wood leading to a small cubbyhole and storage space about a foot high. Her hands were trembling as she gently place Persephone inside, wrapping her in the blanket.

"I love you, Sephie," she said and brushed her hand over her daughter's cheek. "Daddy will find you here. Please stay quiet."

She placed the wood back into place, leaving it open just a crack. Quickly, she opened the door so that it blocked the cubby then ran to chest at the foot of her bed and opened it, grabbing a slender dagger from underneath the spare bed sheets. The sounds of the crashing became louder, and she could hear several other growls accompanying the shrieking. Evangeline's legs shook and she could barely keep on her feet as she climbed into the linen closet outside her room, crouching underneath the first shelf.

The knife slipped from her sweaty hands and she wiped them on her pants before picking it back up. Her heart pounded and her body trembled as listened and waited. Suddenly, the sound of breaking boards cracked through the house and feet stomped through the kitchen and up the stairs. Her breath stopped with the sound and she closed her eyes, readying herself. Looking down, she saw a small pile of towels. She rolled one and placed it inside of another, moving slowly to keep quiet. She cradled the bundle in her arm, pausing as the footsteps fell outside the linen door.

Everything seemed to slow down as she listened to the demons tear through her home. Inhale, exhale.

_Please stay quiet,_ _Persephone._

Slamming the door open with her foot, she bolted from her hiding spot, towels under her arm. In front of her was single hunched demon, its back exposed. Without thinking, she slammed the dagger into its neck causing it to scream and crumple to the floor. She bolted towards the stairs and felt the sting of a claw digging into her calf. She cried out, but managed to stay on her feet as she hobbled down the stairs, slipping on her own blood.

Mustering her strength, she pushed through the pain as she tried to make it to the door. The entrance seemed clear and she was near the shattered remains when she screamed as a blade bit into her back, next to her spine. With a cry, she fell, slamming her head against the wood of the floor. Her vision burst into bright lights. With a sharp tug, the blade was pulled from her back and she screamed as the pain rushed through her spine.

She closed her eyes waiting for the final blow.

"Don't kill her, you stupid puppet. The master wants the mother alive," said a voice calmly.

Evangeline lifted her head, seeing the transparent form of the well-dressed demon. He smiled at her and crouched down.

"A noble effort on your part," he said and held out his arms. "But give me the child."

"Go to hell," she spat.

He smirked and with a motion of his head, a demon tore the bundle from her arms. The demon tore back the cover and tilted its head to the side, showing it to the dandy man. His smiling face abruptly turned into a snarl at the sight of the rolled towel.

"Tear the house apart!" he shouted.

She laughed once, sputtering blood before a demon kicked her in the head and the world went black.

##############

Vergil sat on the floor, his head bowed between his legs, listening to the sound of Dante pacing.

"He made a puppet of Trish, like that creepy girl from the store. I think she took some of her blood from the floor. Shit, I should have known," Dante said, kicking a box.

"Dante, it's been hours and you have said that a thousand times. Let's just find a way out, okay," Lady said.

Vergil just listened, his body felt numb, his mind a muddled mess of images: his mother, Evangeline, hell. He clenched his hands to keep from shaking.

"Verg, do you have any ideas? Verg!"

He looked up; his brother stared at him expectantly. Vergil only shook his head.

"They'll wear off or somebody might open it from the outside if they come looking," he said softly, returning his head to knees.

Dante sighed and continued pacing.

He couldn't tell how many hours had passed; he only knew that Dante stopped his pacing when door began to rumble open. Vergil clambered to his feet along with Lady and stood waiting for the onslaught of demons. The door opened completely to reveal a thin man with a mustache in working coveralls. He stared puzzled at the three occupants of the room and scratched his head.

"Who the hell are you?" Dante demanded.

"What do you mean? Who the hell are you hanging out in an abandoned factory? Are you a bunch of freaks?" the man said and spat on the floor.

"Someone trapped us here," Lady said, charging from the room.

"Well, somebody hired me to come here at 6 am and open the room. Gave me this note," the man said, waving a piece of paper.

Vergil dashed forward and snatched the note from the man. He read the note then tore it to pieces, barging towards the door.

"What did it say?" Dante shouted, jogging after him.

"The Puppet Maker is the Puppet Master," Vergil said and began running.

#################

Vergil nearly vomited at the sight of his home; it's mangled, ruined front bringing bile to his throat. He climbed over the ruin, cutting his hand on jagged pieces of wood that used to his entrance. The kitchen was a mess of pots and shattered dishware while the entire living room was demolished into pulp and cotton. At the foot of the stairs, was a large smear of blood which caused a wave of panic through him.

"Evangeline! Evangeline!" he shouted and ran up the stairs.

At the top was the corpse of a demon, a knife protruding from the back of its neck. He leapt over it and searched the destroyed rooms. Nothing stirred in the house except his own form. He dashed into the bedroom and closed the door. The wood plank in front of the cubbyhole was thrown to the side. Reaching a hand in, he pulled out a small cotton blanket. He lifted the blanket to his lips; he could still smell the soap from Persephone's bath. His whole body trembled and he sat hard on the floor.

Dante ran into the room where his brother was sitting. He looked around the ruins, and his brother seated amongst it.

"Anything?" he asked.

Vergil clenched the blanket tighter and rubbed his eyes, feeling sharp pricks. Dante knelt next to his brother, placing an arm around his shoulders. Vergil's face had fallen completely: his eyes wide, all the muscles trembling.

"We'll find them," Dante said. "They're still alive, or they would have let us know."

Vergil stood up and surveyed the room. Evangeline's clothes were scattered on the floor. He reached down and picked up the black dress she had worn the night of their vacation. The fabric seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. A smear of red underneath it caught his eye. Words sprawled across his floor in blood. He felt a chill creep into his skin as he read them.

_If not to heaven, then hand in hand to hell. _

His mind exploded into a whirlwind of rage and guilt. He felt his demonic side surge through him, overcoming his human body, transforming in burst of blue. He cried out, slamming his fist into the floor, splintering the wood and woods into tiny pieces of pulp. Again and again, he punched his fist into the floor until there was nothing else to destroy, and he crumpled to the floor, a mere human again.

* * *

**_Let me know what you think. RR. Peace out!_**


	7. Chapter 7: Picking Up the Pieces

**_I do not own Devil May Cry or any of the stories, characters, plots, locations, etc thereof. _**

**_I hope everyone is doing well and handling the downed traffic ^_^._**

**_Enjoy. RR  
_**

* * *

Dante slammed another book shut and chucked it across the room. It slammed into the base of the wall with a loud "thud." It had become an hourly ritual of his. Lady looked up from her reading spot on the couch, glaring at Dante seated at the desk. His gaze was lowered, casting a shadow about his face.

"Nobody's called yet and that book was useless," he said.

"Nobody must have heard of him," Lady said. Though worry had created a permanent pit in her stomach, she had for the past two days tried to keep herself as calm as possible, unsure as to whether Dante would fly off the handle. There were dark rings under his eyes, evidence of his concern for his young niece.

They turned their head to the door as it opened and Trish poked her grinning face in. Dante's body stiffened upon seeing her, fighting the irrational urge to strike her.

Trish looked at them, raising an eyebrow. "What? Is no one happy I'm home?"

"Evangeline and Persephone were taken," Lady said softly.

Trish looked at Dante with wide eyes as if hoping he would give a different answer.

"How did they take them? Where are they?" she said hurriedly, dropping her bags where she stood.

"He made a doll that looked like you and when we went to rescue you, he took them," Dante said, staring daggers at Trish.

"I am so sorry. I didn't know," Trish breathed.

"Well, according to the bastard's message, their in hell but we don't know where or what he looks like or even how to get hell," Dante growled and slammed his hands into the desk. "And Vergil has completely lost his mind and is doing nothing but fixing the house instead of actually looking for his family. He has just lost it!"

"Dante, I don't like it either but he is going through a lot right now," Lady said.

"I don't give a damn. He should be tearing apart every demon trying to get to them or at least looking for them. He's acting like they're dead and gone," Dante shouted. He kicked the chair backwards and stormed from the shop, nearly knocking the doors from their hinges.

He wanted to punch the wall, the ground. Vergil. His fists were clenched as he walked and he took deep breaths to calm himself. The gravel of the sidewalk crunched under his feet; Dante paused for a moment, hearing the lighter steps of another behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Lady standing there, her mismatched eyes full of concern she was trying to hide.

"I know you're worried, Dante, but we're going to figure this out. You can't lose your cool now," she said.

"You know Vergil was always the cool headed one. He might have been evil at points but he always had his shit together and now…," he leaned against the wall of the building next to him. "This is my family. A miracle happened and my brother came back and I got my family back, plus two. I don't want to lose it again. If it were you who were taken, hell would have to watch its back."

Lady step forward and wrapped her arms around Dante, burying her face in his red coat. He pulled her close, squeezing her briefly before letting go. Lady shouted at his retreating back.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

He turned around, walking backwards. "I gotta go rescue my brother."

###############

He tossed the garbage bag into the hallway; the contents clattered together as glass broke into smaller pieces. Vergil looked around their bedroom, now sparsely decorated after he removed the broken furniture and various decorations. The clothes, blankets, and towels were all neatly folded and returned to their places. He had swept the floor and placed a piece of plywood, neatly cut to the shape of the hole, over the gaping crevasse in the floor. Scattered across the walls were small patches of white plaster over cracks and holes. The bed was made, a sheet draped over the cracked headboard. On top of the left pillow was the picture of the young Evangeline, cut free from the image of her brother.

The room seemed ruined even though the rubble was cleared. He closed his eyes, the soft patter of footsteps on the floor reached his ears and the sweet smell of tobacco. Opening them, he saw nothing. He felt numb, mechanical. Going through the motions, but with no end and seeing nothing but the mess on the floor, not their faces.

Stepping over the garbage bag, he went to down the hall and opened the door to Persephone's room. Her toys were smashed, teddy bears torn to pieces, books ripped to tatters. He walked over to the toppled crib and lifted it back into place. His eyes landed on the rocking chair in the corner. A giant crack marred the seat, causing it to cave in on itself. He grabbed the top of the chair and with one foot, placed his weight onto until it collapsed completely then he began picking up the pieces and tossing them into the hallway with the other garbage. His attention turned to the smashed toys.

Heavy footsteps climbed the stairs. Vergil closed his eyes again. When he opened them, Dante stood in front of him, mouth set in an angry line.

"Vergil, what are you doing?"

"I'm cleaning," Vergil said, picking up a broken plastic drum. "Evangeline always complained that I didn't clean."

"Evangeline also complains when she's stuck in hell. Why are you just sitting in this house cleaning? What is wrong with you?"

Vergil paused for a moment and looked up at Dante, a shredded bear in his hand.

"I'm picking up the pieces. I'm just alone…"

"You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and go find them!" Dante yelled.

"I don't know where they are. He doesn't want us to find them because he wasn't after us; he was after them. I don't know where they are. I don't know how to get to hell or if they are even alive…"

He knelt down, frantically picking up the scattered bits of broken items. Righting the trash bin, he threw them in, clutching large handfuls and dropping them inside. Dante grabbed his shoulder only to have his hand shrugged away.

"You need to snap out of this. You are what's killing them right now," Dante growled.

Vergil stopped. "I know."

"Did you do this when mom died? I mean I know you aren't any good at handling emotions but…shit, Vergil. This is insane," he said.

"They took everything, Dante. I have nothing," Vergil said slowly. "I don't know how to be without her. She was the only reason I dragged myself out of hell. It wasn't me, it was her. And Persephone…you've never had a child."

"Come with me," Dante said earnestly.

Vergil looked around the shattered room, the walls seemingly tumbling in on the last remains of his daughter. All he had was broken toys.

"I don't have even have pictures of them," he murmured and began picking up the debris.

"Vergil," Dante snapped. "Vergil!"

He continued cleaning. Dante growled and kicked a broken doll before leaving, shouting curse words down the stairs.

Vergil placed the kicked doll in the trash. Numb.

##########################

The small man's head slammed into the wall. His frightened eyes stared up at Dante, his face quivering with his anticipated demise. Dante pushed his forearm harder into his throat; his other hand had pulled back his coat to reveal a pistol at his hip.

"Geez, for a demon you're really not that brave, are you?" Dante said.

The demon disguised as a man shook his head, his human form shifting slightly to reveal the deformed face beneath.

"Wha..what do you want? I haven't done nothing," the demon stammered.

"Wh..why..why do you think I would actually believe that?" Dante mocked. "I've got some questions you better answer them or I will kill you. I might just kill you even if you answer but that is just a risk you have to take."

"What do you wanna know?"

"The card game, when is it?"

The demon looked confusedly at Dante. "Card game?"

"The card game with the demons. I know you run gambling on demon fights so if you act dumb I won't believe you," Dante said, lifting ebony into view of the demon's face.

"Okay, okay. They'll kill me if I tell. No one was happy when you and your brother showed up last time," the demon said.

"Well you're going to die if you don't tell me. At least with me, you'll have a chance to run away from them," Dante said, smiling.

"They're playing at the Belle Hotel, in the top floor king's suite," the demon finally spat.

Dante brought ebony's barrel to bear on the demon's head, it cringed, then with a smile, twirled it on a finger and holstered it again.

"Thanks," Dante said and dropped his arm, walking away.

#################################

Vergil looked around the reassembled room, spotless as if waiting for its occupant to return. The light had been broken so the growing darkness engulfed it in shadow. He walked from the room, closing the door behind him, the faintest cry echoing in his ears. Slowly, he entered his room and climbed into his bed, closing his eyes against the sounds. _They're gone,_ he thought.

He felt a swell of emotion in his chest and he met it with a brick wall of unfeeling. It battered against it, never fully coming to fruition and always kept at bay. It settled, leaving him torn and tired as if he had been tossed against the waves.

"I don't know how to save you," he whispered to the ghost in his bed.

#####################

Dante smiled at the young woman in the elevator. She looked him up and down and managed a weak smile. The hotel elevator was covered in mirror and soft violins played in the background. Out of the corner of his eye, she slowly edged away, clutching her expensive leather purse closer to her chest.

"Oh, it's okay. I got a lady waiting. She's paying me," Dante said.

The elevator stopped and the young woman quickly rushed off. He laughed to himself as the doors closed. Six floors later the elevator stopped at the top level and he stepped out into the hallway. Whistling he walked up to the door and knocked once. On the other side, a faint shuffling was audible as the room's occupant checked the peephole.

Dante waved at the person through the peephole and kicked the door, sending it flying into the room and into the unfortunate fellow on the other side. He stepped over the fallen door, checking underneath and seeing a man in a suit. He patted the unconscious man's head and continued to the back.

The shocked card players gaped at Dante; he saw the same smoking woman and old man and a few new faces, some demonic and some human.

"Not again," the woman mumbled.

"Hey guys. I don't want to stay long, so just tell me what I want to know," Dante said.

"Why would we help you?" the old man said, nervously looking around for his bodyguard.

"Oh, your boy is currently taking a nap, so you're going to help me because I'm badass and could kill all of you with a thought. Not to mention I am really not in the mood for bullshit," Dante said, taking out ebony and ivory.

"Oh, hell. What do you want to know," the woman said. "I want to finish my card game."

"What do you know about the Puppet Maker?"

"No one has ever seen him personally. That over-maintained demon works for him, though don't try to beat anything out of him. He isn't actually in this plane; he's only projecting himself. From what we know is that the guy hasn't been around for a long time; nobody in hell knows about him either. He used to work for Mundus when your traitor father was under him. When Mundus was defeated he was understandably angry and banished several people, including the Puppet Maker for not building a stronger army," the woman said, puffing on her cigarette, her face showing her distaste for the situation.

"I don't appreciate the attitude but the answers are good. Do you know where he is in hell?" Dante asked.

"No, if I had to guess, he's where Mundus won't see him. Can we get back to our game?" she said.

"Alright," he said, and put away his guns. "Lady, gentlemen."

He nodded and left, surprised yet disappointed in how readily she had given information. _Didn't give me any fun,_ he thought.

###########################

The living room was completely demolished. The couch was torn apart until all the remained were tufts of cotton and shreds of blue fabric. The center table was snapped in two as if a demon had slammed its entire weight into it. Lamps were fallen, their metal twisted, books and papers scattered and ripped, and a slab of brickwork from the fireplace had been smashed to pieces and lay crumbled on the floor. Vergil assessed each damaged item individually, deciding where to start.

"You should probably remove the couch first."

Vergil turned towards his brother standing with his arms crossed. Dante examined his brother's face; his cheeks were sunken, his hair mussed and out of place, and under his eyes dark rings had formed. Vergil's resumed its emotionless standard, though the flawless statue of before was weathered and worn.

"I guess you haven't slept," Dante said.

"What do you want Dante?"

Dante crossed in front of Vergil, arms still crossed across his broad chest. Vergil ignored him, digging through a pile of torn books for any that were salvageable.

"I'm going to make you save your family," Dante said.

"I don't know how to save them," Vergil said, dropping the books in his hands.

"Vergil, you are going to snap out of this even if I have to drag you beaten and bloodied into hell," he replied.

"I can't save them," Vergil said.

Dante laughed and shook his head then lunged. In a flash of red he was on top of Vergil, Dante's fist connected firmly with his jaw, sending his twin stumbling backward into the ruined couch. Vergil reached up and touched his bleeding lip, but made no motion towards his brother. Dante grabbed Vergil by the lapels of his coat with both hands and slammed him into the wall. Vergil felt his head crack against the wood, hot blood gushing from the back of his skull. He pushed back against his brother, but Dante twisted and threw him onto the ground. Planting a boot on his chest, Dante punched his brother again and again until blood poured from Vergil's nose. Vergil caught his fist, placed his hand against his shoulder, and flipped Dante over him, scrambling quickly to his feet.

"Don't you get it?" Vergil shouted. He body shook with anger, and blood poured into his mouth. "I'm father!'

Dante climbed to his feet. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"It is better to be without family because all it causes is suffering. Demons bring nothing but suffering. I'm like father, I left my family and they suffered just like we suffered. They didn't deserve this and I don't know what to do without them. I don't want to feel it. I don't want to feel hopeless because I don't know what to do," he cried.

Dante's mouth hung open for a silent minute as he watched his brother's statuesque face melt into a constant shift of raging emotions; anger, sadness, guilt raced across his face.

"Dude, if you gotta cry, cry," he finally said.

Vergil sat down on the ruined couch. Dante walked over to join him, picking up a torn piece of fabric and waving it in front of Vergil's face. Vergil took it and dabbed at the blood around his nose.

"You can't keep things bottle up; it makes you go psycho or in your case it makes you clean which was unexpected. I can't say I know what you are going through, but I know what I would do if it happened to you or Lady," Dante said.

"And what's that?" Vergil said from behind the bloodied clothe.

"You need to tear eternity apart to find them. Rip through heaven and hell to make it up to them. Even if there really is no way into hell again, I'll make sure you spend the rest your life looking for it, otherwise, you never really loved them," he said with a stone face.

Vergil sighed. "There's still so much more to learn. Will we ever know how to be demon and human?"

"We'll catch up, pave the way so our kids don't have to be fucked up. Well, I'm not fucked up, but you definitely are," Dante said and stood up.

Vergil walked to the kitchen and watched the water run through the cracked sink. Cupping his hands, he splashed the water over his face, rinsing off the blood from his nose and slicking back his hair. The red rivulets circled around the drain and the emotionless wall crumbled into dust. He fell to his knees with the weight of it then slowly climbed to his feet again. It felt as if he couldn't take a step forward without falling to pieces; he wanted to lay down and never move, let the dust cover him until he disappeared from the world. _It hurts_, he thought.

####################

Evangeline felt it. She knew where she was before she even opened her eyes.

The sickening feeling of hopelessness from endless torture. The air was rife with it; thick and miserable. Her back could almost feel the whips and daggers again. Inside, her soul was screaming for her to run.

She heard clattering which sounded like a million pots and pans pounding in her ears. The side of her head throbbed violently and she felt unable to even open her eyes. She tried to bring her hand to feel what she thought to be a lump only to feel the sharp pull of a shackle. Prying her eyes open, she expected a cell, or the blasted landscape of hell. Instead, she opened her eyes to a fresco of angels on the ceiling.

She turned her head, wincing slightly with the effort. Surrounding her was an large and opulent room of marble floors and gold pillars leading to vaulted ceilings filled with more paintings: some of angels while others of Greek gods. The walls were decorated with an intricate gold leaf pattern offset against white marble. The clattering came from slowly moving women in various period dress, their skin shiny like that of polished wood. They cleaned or carried wooden arms and legs, or metal pieces; however, some gathered in groups and danced as if imitating human beings. A permanent smile was painted on each face and Evangeline realized that their eyes were painted as well: living dolls.

"I was worried the puppet had damaged you."

Her eyes shot above her and she watched as one of the angels moved and dropped down next to where she was chained to a concrete table. The angel had large wings of gray feathers, his face was sculpted like that of a Greek statue with a prominent nose and narrow cheeks. Across his chest a metal breastplate was strapped over a white tunic. She wrinkled her nose, confused at the sight of an angel in a place she knew to be hell.

"I can see your face. No you aren't in heaven, you're in my workshop. I am the Puppet Maker," the demon said. "Did you miss it? Being in hell I mean. The certainly did a number on you, but I have to say that your escape was quite extraordinary."

"Where's my daughter?" Evangeline growled and lunged, meeting the resistance of her chains.

"She's just fine. The dolls are taking care of her for right now, but she will need her mother eventually. I wouldn't harm her; she's very crucial to my plans," he said, picking up a small metal ornament with several legs protruding from it so that it took the shape of a spider. In the center was a single gem.

Relief washed over Evangeline with the thought of Persephone alive, though it was mitigated by the realization that her daughter was trapped in hell.

"I know you won't let us go, but why do you want her? She's just a baby," Evangeline asked, unsure of what she could do except seek answers.

The demon picked up a small jar with his slender fingers which contained a glowing red orb.

"Do you know what this is?"

Evangeline shook her head her heart began pounded as fear gripped her chest with an iron fist.

"It is demonic essence, very hard to get. It's useful for the puppets, though. Having a living essence makes them move much smoother. That puppet of your blond companion was some of my best work. However, living beings make the best puppets. Much better than the wooden ones," he said.

"What do you want?"

"The problem with demon's, you know, is that they are so impatient. Yet all they do is attack with swords and claws and where has it gotten them? No where. Humans defeat them every time with planning and innovation. Patience and cunning is what is needed which was something Mundus does not have and I was punished because of it." His face twisted into a vicious scowl, teeth bared so that his handsome face had become something inhuman. With a deep breath he collected himself. "But you don't know anything about that, but you do know about the infection don't you? It crippled Mundus and his forces and now, after all this waiting, I have my opportunity."

"What does this have to with Persephone?" she shouted.

"You're clearly not patient, but since you are so desperate," he leaned his elbows on the table, fluttering his wings. "The one force in hell that has never been defeated is Sparda. For me to consolidate my power, I need to have that force so I took your daughter."

"She can't even walk? We don't know if she will even be like her father," she said, twisting her arms in a feeble attempt to free herself.

"Oh, don't be foolish of course she will take up her birthright. And I am patient. She will grow up and I will be her father. And one day, she will be my most powerful and may even one day kill the rest of Sparda's interfering brood," he said. "I have high hopes for this child. To be truthful, before my servant saw you we had other intentions for the son's of Sparda, but it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up."

"They'll find us and kill you," Persephone spat.

The demon smiled, his lip curling maliciously. "No they won't."

"Why didn't you kill me then?" she asked, voice cracking.

"Unfortunately, demons are not the most nurturing of creatures so the child will need you for some time. Don't fret, as soon as I've finished with you I'll release the shackles. I cannot leave the mother of my child locked up forever," he said, unscrewing the jaw with the red orb.

"What are doing? Stop it! Let my daughter go!" she said as he lifted the red orb over her.

"Those are very interesting eyes. I've never had a part demon in my collection before. Sadly, to make this work you'll need more demonic essence in you."

Evangeline twisted her arms and legs, writhing to try to get away.

"Oh, don't struggle. I'll make you beautiful," he said, and dropped the red orb onto her chest.

She felt it sear into her skin, the intense burning traveling from her chest to the rest of her body. It spread like painful vines to her limbs until it reached her eyes which ignited in pain as if on fire. Her vision with black with the pain and she screamed, the sound echoing back to her ears. The pain subsided, settling into a numbing ache.

"You handled that rather well. Shall we move on to the next step?"

"Stop…please," she choked.

"It will be painful, but when it is done, you shall be the crown jewel of my creations," he said.

He picked up the spider-like metal ornament, and tore open her shirt to expose her chest. The demon placed the cold metal against her skin then lifted his hand over the central jewel, muttering a few words. Evangeline's whole body jerked as she felt the long needles shoot from the metal legs and imbed themselves within her skin. All of her nerves spasmed in response in a unity of pain. She wanted to cry out, but was unable to open her mouth, leaving her suffering as only a silent scream within her head. She tried move her arms to find them paralyzed and useless. She struggled with her body, screaming at it to move, but with no response.

"Sleep," he said and she closed her eyes.

###########################

Vergil stared at his companions: Dante pacing, his red coat whipping behind him with each turn, and Lady seated with Trish on the couch, hands wringing together. A pile of books were in front of them, discarded after multiple readings.

"So the only thing we know is that he makes puppets and that he worked for Mundus who got rid of him," Lady said.

"Hell is a big place. That doesn't help us find him," Vergil said.

"What did she say exactly?" Trish asked Dante.

"Exactly? She said he was banished," Dante said and stopped pacing.

"Vergil what do you remember as Nero Angelo?" Trish asked.

"Not a lot. Why?"

"Banished means that there is some place in hell that they go where they are away from Mundus. So there has to be a place that Mundus doesn't go," she said. "What do you remember?"

Vergil's mind flashed to his time in hell and the realization began to dawn. He had stood on a precipice, a gaping black hole in front of him, watching a demon fall into the darkness as screams ripped through the air.

"The lower hells," he said.

"What are the lower hells?" Dante said.

"It's below where the souls are tortured. The place where demon's go when they are killed. No living demon goes there out of fear of the demonic spirits. Apparently, they're not pleasant," Vergil explained. "I remember Mundus throwing his dissenters down there."

"Can you find it again?" Dante asked.

"Yes, but there are no gates to hell open," Vergil said.

"Yamato can open gates," Lady piped in. "Can't you find a place to activate one?"

"Temen-ni-gru is destroyed," Vergil said. "I don't know of any other except those opened by demons."

"Fortuna still has gates," Trish replied.

"The city that made Sparda a god," Vergil said, raising an eyebrow. "Why would they have a gate?"

"You weren't around for that, but several gates were opened in Fortuna and there might still be pieces that Yamato can activate," Dante said, clapping Vergil on the shoulder. "We got our solution. Lady, Trish, and Nero can fight the bad guys coming out of the open gate while we go save your woman and baby."

Trish stood up. "I'm going with to hell."

"No you aren't," Dante ordered.

"Yes, I am. It was my fault that she was taken and you'll need someone who remembers hell a little better than Vergil," she said, glaring at Dante. She crossed her arms over her chest, staring him down.

"Let her come; we need to leave now," Vergil said and walked towards the door, the others following. A sudden fire had sprung in his chest, illuminating the dark hopelessness that had filled him. He could see their faces again. His mind swiftly moved to the various ways he would torture the faceless demon, hand itching to use Yamato to cut into his flesh until he cried for mercy. _There will be blood.  


* * *

**It may be a while before I update again. Let me know what you think. I love hearing from you guys and the traffic is down. Peace!**_


	8. Chapter 8: The Gates of Hell

**_I do not own Devil May Cry or any of the characters, stories, locations, plots, etc. thereof. _**

**_Sorry I didn't update sooner. I'm in New York for a few months and I am getting settled. I'll be slower updating, but hopefully not too slow. _**

**_Thank you to everyone who read and everyone who reviewed. I much appreciate it. Thank you Popping Bubbles for your message, it made my day. _**

**_Enjoy. RR.  
_**

* * *

"You want to do what?" Nero yelped. The young man stared with wide eyes at the four in front of him as if they were babbling that the sky was painted with crayon. Vergil stood polishing Yamato next to the window while Trish sipped tea with Kyrie on the couch and Lady and Dante stood next to Nero, explaining the situation.

"Vergil's going to open the big gate so we can enter hell while you a Lady fight off the extras coming through," Dante said.

"No! The people have been through enough. I won't let you do it old man," Nero said, puffing his chest slightly.

Dante shook his head and stepped up to Nero. "Seriously, kid. It's not up for discussion."

"I'll stop you," Nero said.

"You'll lose," Dante retorted.

"Please, Nero," Trish said, placing the tea on the table.

"People might die."

"People will die if you don't," Vergil said, sheathing Yamato. "My child and my wife are down there and if I have to kill you to get to them, I will."

There was a long pause as Nero stared at Vergil's hardened face. Vergil's eyes were cold and Nero realized that the older man would have to qualms about taking his life. Nero straightened his shoulders, shaking off the slight unease that came with Vergil's comment.

"You mean the woman that stole from me? Didn't she sleep with you then leave you Dante?" Nero said.

"Yes, but situations change and she's family now," Dante snapped.

"Nero, a baby is in trouble," Kyrie said softly. "You can't leave a child in danger."

Nero looked into Vergil's deadly gaze then to Kyrie's pleading eyes, unsure of who he was more afraid of. He sighed deeply and ran his hand through his white hair.

"Fine, let's go to the gate. Kyrie, please stay here," Nero said.

#####################

They approached the giant slab; its fallen upper half lay off to the side, a construction crew slowly removing pieces at a time. The base remained relatively intact despite Dante's onslaught during the attack on the city.

"This is it?" Vergil asked. He ran a gloved hand over the stone; it felt as cold and as inactive as any rock.

"That's it," Dante said.

Vergil held out his hand to his brother. Dante stared at it for a moment.

"What?"

"Give me the amulet, idiot," Vergil snapped. Dante removed his half of the amulet from his neck and handed it to his brother. Vergil grabbed his own from within his vest and the two halves snapped together instantly. It hovered next to the stone and the air began to taste of electricity. With a swift motion, he unsheathed Yamato and carefully stuck the point into the stone. From the point, the stone began to ripple like water and the amulet floated forward into the gate, disappearing within it.

"Why is it to do anything all we have to do is stab it?" Dante said.

"Let's go," Vergil said, looking at Trish. "I need to be the last to pass through."

Trish drew her guns and stepped forward into the rippling stone, disappearing within. Vergil looked back for his brother and saw him standing with Lady, holding her shoulders and speaking softly. He opened his mouth to yell, but closed it, allowing them their moment. Dante kissed Lady and told Nero to watch his back before stepping up to Vergil.

"You ready man?"

"Yes, I'm waiting for you to stop dawdling," Vergil said. Dante laughed and stepped through.

Vergil turned to Nero and Lady, already with weapons at the ready.

"As soon as the sword is on the other side the portal in hell will be open and demons may start passing through. Be on the lookout," Vergil said.

"Bring them back," Lady said. Vergil smirked and pushed Yamato through, following behind it. Around him was ice cold before he suddenly emerged on the other side, a blast of heat washing over him. He felt the tug of the barrier and stepped through to hell where a barren landscape lay before him.

##########################

The Puppet Maker's face was inches from hers, his eyes deep in concentration. She felt the stroke of the brush against her lips. He paused for a moment then carefully made a quick stroke before putting down the brush and smiling. She tried moving her eyes to see the tools he had been using, but her body was frozen completely. The only functions she had control over were her breathing and blinking.

"Now don't you look beautiful," he said.

She was helpless as the Puppet Maker and his various dolls undressed her and wrapped her in new clothing. They did her hair and face as if she were nothing but a child's plaything. Each time they touched her she wanted to scream and each time nothing came out. Her mind raged about its prison, berating her unresponsive body for not fighting.

"Would you like to see yourself?" he asked. "Turn around."

Like a switched had been turned on, her body moved with the eerie sensation that she was a ghost watching herself. On her chest, the metal device stung briefly with a shock of electricity when he gave the order. Her body turned to face a tall mirror behind her. _What did he do to me?_

Her hair had been pulled up in intricate curls and a giant gold fan made of twisting vines was pinned to the back of her hair. The demon had painted her face as a geisha would, completely white with black eyebrows and a small patch of red on her lips that made her look as if she were puckering. The dolls had dressed her in rich red and black robes, secured with a wide, gold sash around her waist. Her mind flashed to images of Japanese dolls you could buy at import stores in the mall. Rage tugged at her heart and she cursed herself for her inability to move. _A male fantasy the sick fuck, _she thought_._

"Would you like to tell me what you think? You may speak."

Suddenly, she could feel the muscles of her mouth.

"You have gaudy taste," she spat before the paralysis resumed.

"Tsk, tsk. You are unappreciative, but now you are ready for your daughter," he said. He looked at a doll dressed a royal blue gown from the Renaissance. Its painted face gave no indication of recognition, but it slowly walked from the room, disappearing behind gilded doors.

"To the nursery, I need to show my daughter her new home after you feed her."

_She's mine and Vergil's daughter you piece of shit!_

The doors opened again and the suited man entered, Persephone in his arms dressed in a long white gown. The smile was no longer on his face as he brought her forward. She screamed and the sound echoed through the hall.

"Take your child and care for her," the Puppet Maker said.

Evangeline's arms shot out and she took Persephone from the demon. Her body went through the familiar motions, undoing her clothes and bringing Persephone to her breast, but the sensation was far away. She couldn't move her head to look at the feeding child, and only stared ahead at the two demons smiling with victory.

#######################

In front of them stretched a deserted land of rock. The ground was red stone and rugged, an occasional boulder rising from the surface. The air was murky, obscuring any object in the distance and wind rushed across the landscape, no objects in its path. Above them was a brown sky where shifting clouds of green occasionally blocked a rust red orb that barely gave enough light to see. Each scanned the area in front of them for a demonic presence, but found it deserted and desolate.

"There's nothing. It's dead," Trish said. "I've never seen it like this."

"Yeah, you should have seen it during the infection. I don't know how many demons were killed," Dante said.

"Where are the lower hells?" Vergil asked Trish.

"Look in the distance," Trish said pointing. Vergil peered closer, seeing the faint outline of a tall structure.

"The gates," he said.

"What gates?" Dante asked.

"The gates of hell, where the souls go," Trish said. "We need to go there then climb down to get to the lower hells."

"It's about a two day walk from here. We need to get going," Vergil said and started into the desolate landscape.

############################

The Puppet Master hooked Evangeline's arm in his as he led her down the hall. In her other arm, she cradled Persephone, who fussed amongst the heavy fabric of her robes. He had given her permission to move her head to see the various sights and she gladly took the freedom. The hallway was lined with glass displays, brightly illuminated, containing puppets in intricate costumes. They were straight from a child's fairy tale book: some dressed as princes, queens, evil witches, fairies, while others were in various period costumes from Medieval to flapper. Others were simply like a fantasy from the imagination with no discernable definition. All were slumped over in inactivity.

He stopped in the middle.

"This is my gallery. I think she would like to see them perform," he said. With a snap of his fingers they began to move, yanked along on invisible strings. They began to dance, twirling around in their cases. Evangeline felt sick to her stomach watching them.

_You disgusting bastard. When Vergil gets here he is going to tear this hell house apart and throw your guts around it,_ she thought.

"Come, I'll show you my pride and joy," he said.

Her body began continued down the hallway. He turned left into a smaller passageway between two displays. As they walked, she could smell the stale, hot air of hell. The hallway ended in a balcony and they emerged outside. She looked around in the dim light. Rising half a mile away on either side were giant cliffs; the Puppet Master's palace was a stone fortress situated on top of a mountan at the bottom of a massive canyon, dwarfed by the rock walls around it. She tilted her head; miles above them was what looked like a river of fog, flowing to somewhere unknown. As she stared, she was able to discern human forms in the river: arms reaching and mouths agape.

"This," he said and swept his arm over the area. "Is my work."

Stretching around the base of the mountain and through the cavern were rows of metal suits. They stood with swords at the ready, shoulder to shoulder, and unmoving. She couldn't begin to count the numbers. His metal army.

"My servant brought me a book on robotics from earth, so I created metal puppets. I will march on Mundus with them as soon as my forces are complete," he said, staring proudly over his army.

He led her back inside as Persephone began to cry.

"Comfort your daughter," he said.

Evangeline's arms began rocking the baby and patting her back. She looked at her daughter, wanting to smile at her but was unable to move her face. The urge to cry overwhelmed her but it too remained unexpressed.

"There, that's a good puppet," he said.

_I wish you would die so you would stop talking_, she thought. He reached for Persephone, taking her from Evangeline's arms. _No! Don't touch her! _He cradled her in his arms, and as she cried, his wings fluttered with irritation.

"This will be your kingdom one day my child," he said.

She pounded against the walls of her mind, struggling to gain control. _Don't touch her! Don't talk to her! I will kill you. _But she only stood there, staring.

The perfect doll.

#############################

Vergil shielded his eyes for a moment against blowing dust. They sat at the base of a protruding boulder, the air having become heavier and more humid as they walked. The walls grew larger, giving the illusion they were close, but the closer they drew, the more Vergil realized how tall the walls were. Despite walking half a day, they had yet to encounter any demons.

"God it's hot," Dante said, waving a hand at his face. "I can't believe nothing has attacked us."

"Something will now that you mentioned it," Vergil said.

"We'll be passing close to Mundus' fortress, just the outskirts. Some of his minions will be around when we do. He didn't survive this long by being stingy on patrols," Trish said. Her blond hair hung in limp locks, sticking to her forehead with sweat.

Vergil shrugged his shoulders, lifting the collar of his coat away from his sweaty neck. The sweat beaded on his face and drip down his back. He picked up Yamato from its resting place at his side and climbed to his feet.

"How much further until we're in Mundus' territory?" he asked.

"Soon. I wouldn't be surprise if it's in the next hour," she said, groaning as she stood up.

"Leather was a bad choice, eh, Trish," Dante said.

"Shut up," she snapped. Dante laughed and they continued towards the gates in the distance.

Vergil could have sworn that with every step he took the air grew hotter. He felt his body getting heavier and moving became a struggle. Dante groaned and Trish hushed him with a sharp "shh."

"You know, at some point it is so hot that if it gets hotter it doesn't really matter because it is just hella hot. I think we've reached that point," Dante said.

"Dante be quiet. There are probably demons around," Trish whispered between gritted teeth.

From above them came a bone-rattling screech. Vergil shoved Trish, pushing her out of the way of descending talons. Looking up, he saw the outline of massive wings that kicked up a whirlwind of dust with every beat. As it circled, Vergil saw the ragged brown feathers and long, sharp, jagged beak; it snapped opened and shut as it let out more cries. Vergil eyes darted around and saw a flock nearing them from the right.

The first demonic bird plummeted towards Dante. He braced himself then jumped into the air as the bird came inches from him. He brought his feet down on top of the bird's head, plunging its beak into the ground, cracking it in half. Dante unsheathed his sword and with a wide slice, he removed the head. The bird's body spasmed for a moment before lying still.

Vergil turned to face the oncoming flock, he leaned back on one foot, hand on the hilt of Yamato, slowly building the energy in the sword. The energy crackled around his hand and he unsheathed Yamato swiftly sending a wave into an oncoming demon. It shrieked once as the many blades of energy sliced into it and fell from the sky. Trish fired once from her pistol before unleashing a blast of electricity towards another which struggled in the air for a moment before crumpling. The final three circled overhead before diving in unison towards them.

Vergil dashed towards Dante and leapt, kicking off his shoulder and shooting himself into the middle of their dive. He sliced three times, neatly cutting the demons in half. The pieces fell apart and seperated on either side of Dante and Trish. Vergil landed lightly on the ground, barely avoiding the corpse of a bird.

"You couldn't have done that without me," Dante said.

Vergil smirked and looked in the direction the birds had come from. He could make out the murky outline of a tower.

"That's the entrance to his fortress," Vergil said.

"Then we should move faster," Trish said.

"No, you aren't coming," Vergil said.

"I told you that I am going with you to save them," Trish said.

"You're not leaving hell, you're going to be our insurance policy. This is what I need you to do…"

##########################

In front of her was an opulent dinner. Meats and cheeses were piled high on silver platters. Amongst them were exotic fruits, most of which Evangeline didn't recognize, stacked in baskets. Hot steaming loaves of bread were cut into manageable pieces. Amongst the plates and platters were garnishes of wreathes and flowers which nearly obscured the food.

The Puppet Master was seated across from her in a high-backed wooden chair. He smiled at her, tossing a grape into his mouth. He flexed his gray wings and leaned back in his seat, staring at her with a bemused expression.

"Eat," he said.

Evangeline's hands immediately grabbed for the meat and cheese on a platter next to her. She grabbed a chunk of bleu cheese, something she had despised since her brother made her try it as a child. Her hand stuffed the stinking cheese into her mouth and inside she grimaced as the sharp taste filled her mouth.

"I want to be entertained…" he began to say when the suited demon walked into the room.

"Sir, one of the metal puppets malfunctioned," he said.

"Just one won't put us behind schedule. Leave me." The suited demon left. "I always enjoyed the things humans made. Not humans, just their creations. I had a human slave prepare this food. Now, you may speak to entertain me."

With relief, she felt control come back to her mouth and tongue.

"She isn't your daughter and her father will kill you for this," she said. Her hand placed bread into her mouth, muffling her.

"This again. Even if they knew where we were they would need to get through the lower hells and then through my…special suprise I created to guard this place. If they don't die, I still have my puppets and will make my grand escape," he said.

"You are a coward," she spat after swallowing the bread.

"I was never stronger than Mundus and Sparda on my own, so I made up for it in genius."

"You sick son of a bitch. You are disgusti…"

Her mouth cut off, no longer her own.

"If you are going to talk like that you won't get your mouth. Now ask me about my work," he said.

"How is your work?" she said, monotone. It was like a speaker was in her throat and projecting a voice that was not hers. The Puppet Master laughed, taking a bite of piece of bread.

###############################

"I hope that you didn't get Trish killed," Dante said.

"She'll be fine and stop saying that," Vergil responded.

After sleeping for a few hours in a hot cave, they had started again and after walking for another day, were able to make out the stones of the gate only a mile away. They had cut down a small group of demons who were unlucky enough to cross their path, but the desolate landscape remained mostly devoid of life.

They continued in silence, slinking around the rocks to avoid being seen. Reaching the stone gate, they looked up towards the top that disappeared into the fog of the sky.

"What we do now?" Dante said. He walked up to the wall, running his hands along to see if he could get a grip.

"We can't climb it. The only way to enter is through the gate entrance," Vergil said.

"Where's that?" Dante asked.

"I think it's to the left," Vergil said.

"You think it's to the left. That's good to know that at least you think something," Dante said, crossing his arms.

"It has been a while," Vergil snapped.

"What are we supposed to do, just walk in?" Dante said. "Climbing will keep us from being seen."

"You can walk in," Vergil said. "They don't care who enters; their job is to keep people in, so the demons on the inside will be our biggest problem."

"Well let's go left then and just walk in," Dante sighed and started along the bottom of the wall.

It wasn't long before the entrance came into view: a gap in the stone wall. A steady stream of souls poured in, walking with their heads down or crying out. Those that struggled were quickly caught up in the wave of others and pulled through the entrance. Inside, various punishments awaited them. Though they were transparent upon entering, inside they would take on flesh in order to feel their tortures.

"That's a lot of people," Dante said quietly.

Vergil looked at his brother who stared with worried eyes at the souls passing by.

"Those are people who deserve to be punished. Murderers, rapists, those who destroy lives," Vergil told him. Dante blinked and looked at his brother.

"Is this where you will go?" he asked.

"I hope I've done enough to redeem myself," Vergil said, the question striking an inkling of doubt in his heart. "Let's go."

They edged around the entrance, keeping away from the souls. A few saw them and reached out, grasping at their clothes. They swatted their hands away and the souls were pulled into their place of final torture. Vergil heard the clang of metal and grunts.

As they stepped through, Vergil saw the twisted demons pulling at the souls entering, separating them before dragging them off to places unknown. One demon looked up with its black eyes and saw Vergil. It screamed for its companions. Vergil grabbed Dante's coat.

"Run!" he shouted.

"What?"

Vergil started running, dragging Dante with him. They pushed through the crowd of souls and past the demons lurching towards them. Vergil caught flashes of tortures and in front of him, a giant chasm in the rock. He kept his eyes on the gap and leapt down, pulling Dante with him. Below his falling feet he saw the river of souls flowing. With one hand he reached out and grabbed at the cliff's face. The rocks tore his gloved hand and fingernails bloody as he grasped for a grip.

Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder and he halted with a painful jerk, his feet inches from the river. He dug his hands and feet into the wall and Dante released him, clinging to the wall slightly above him. Above them, demons cried at the edge of the cliff, decrying their escape.

"Way to plan, Verg," Dante said.

"There are thousands of demons there. I got us through," Vergil shot back. "Don't let the river touch you."

"Sure, but what do we do?"

"We need to get below it. Look for a cave," Vergil said and sunk into his devil form. With the claws he was able to get a better grip on the cliff. Slowly, he climbed sideways, looking for a point of entrance. Leaning backward, he made out a slight gap in the rock. He clambered quickly over the rock wall and to the gap. It was about three feet wide and led deeper into the cliff. He pulled himself through, entering into a small cave, resuming his human from. Behind him, Dante climbed in.

Vergil felt along the wall with his hand. When he touched empty space he gestured for Dante and the entered into the tunnel.

"Keep quiet," he whispered. "If we run across a demon spirit there's nothing we can do, so be silent and avoid any if you see them."

They inched along in the dark, Dante staying close behind Vergil to the point that he stepped on his heel. Vergil shot him a death look when he did. They continued downward through the dark tunnel. It sloped in a steep hill, and Dante pressed his hand into Vergil's back to keep from tumbling down. The tunnel opened into a small cavern and Vergil halted at the sound of sobbing.

He could make out the faint form of shoulders hunched over. A low wail issued from it. Slowly, they walked around it, backs the other side of the cavern. The form lifted its head as if sensing them. They paused and waited and the spirit began its wailing again. Carefully, they eased their way around it, silently running their hands against the wall searching for the opening to the next tunnel. After what felt like an eternity, they safely made it into the security of the tunnel, leaving the ghost's wailing far behind them.

"Why didn't we just fight it?" Dante said in a harsh whisper.

"It's dead Dante; we can't kill it again but it can hurt us," Vergil said.

"Whatever," Dante said, stepping over a rock. "This is taking too long."

Suddenly from around them came hundreds of wails and cries. Vergil smacked Dante and bolted down the tunnel as shadowy hands darted from the walls. _He has no idea about hell, _Vergil thought as he ran. Dante yelped and dodged the hands that tugged on his clothes, trying to pull him towards them. Vergil ignored them, plowing further and further downward into the maze of tunnels and caverns. He kept his eyes open for tunnels sloping down, hoping they would take him below the river of souls and into the canyon underneath. Rocks smashed into his head and feet and he stumbled down the more narrow tunnels, the chorus of screams following.

They ran for what seemed like an eternity. His chest was tight and his lungs began laboring for air. When his mind began to wonder whether they could escape, he saw the eerie glow of light to his left.

"Dante!" he yelled at his brother struggling against the ghostly claws. He pointed to the light and darted towards it, unsure of what to do when they arrived. A single claw reached out and snagged a large tear in his coat just as he emerged outside, Dante quick on his heels. They turned to look back at the tunnel, believing ten thousand ghosts to be following. As shadowy demonic forms emerged onto the surface, a row of red stones lining the top of the entrance to the tunnel would buzz and a red orb would form on the ground where the demon spirit once stood. This happened three times before the demons stopped coming and stared out from the tunnel, safely back from the red stones.

"What was that?" Dante asked, doubling over, his chest heaving. Vergil felt his own tightness in his legs from the sloping tunnels. He shrugged in response to his brother's question.

"Ah, Vergil look around," Dante said and tugged on his brother's sleeve.

Vergil turned and immediately drew his sword. Surrounding them were rows and rows of the mechanical demons they had fought on earth. They stood at attention with various weapons, modeled clearly after warriors of the past. Vergil's body was tense and ready to spring when he realized they were not moving and made no indication of sensing the two devils there.

In front of them, a single path through the metal demons led to the base of a massive tower carved from the mountain it stood against. Looking up, he saw the mountaintop fortress the tower led to.

"This has to be it. He must have built defenses against the demonic spirits," Vergil said. He took a cautious step forward, eyeing the rows of metal demons with some amount of caution. There were thousands, and the likelihood of defeating them all was slim even with his brother. He took another step and paused. The metal demons made no move towards them.

"Maybe they're turned off?" Dante said.

Vergil was ready to shoot a withering glare at his brother when he realized that the idea was hardly foolish.

"Why aren't they attacking if they are supposed to protect him?" Dante asked.

Vergil only slid his way down the path, his eyes darting all around him for any movement. Dante shrugged and charged towards the tower, ignoring the demons. Vergil hissed then picked up the pace and arriving next to Dante at the base of the tower where a single metal door stood. A small plaque was embedded in the door.

"_Abandon all hope, ye who enter here_," Dante read. "Pretty straight forward."

"Don't tell me you never read the book that was your namesake. It's from Dante's _Divine Comedy_. It was written above the gate to hell," Vergil said.

"Oh, and I suppose you will be my wise guide," Dante mocked.

"Of course. I will always have the superior intellect," Vergil said. He pressed his hand against the door and it opened easily without a sound. Glancing at his brother, he stepped through.

Inside was pitch black save for a single light shining around the outline of a large, square doorway. They stepped up to the door and together opened it. Vergil's eyes adjusted to the sudden rush of light and he heard the gentle lapping of water. In front of them was a ferry; its captain a hunched figure in a torn black robe. A wide river stretched forward and plunged into the depths of the mountain and into darkness.

"What the hell!" Dante said. He stepped towards the boat and the hunched figure turned. Emerging from the sleeve of its robe was a hand of bone, held together with metal wires. It pointed to the seats in the boat and waited.

Vergil looked at Dante who stroked the black stubble on his chin as he analyzed the boat.

"It's Charon, the ferryman. The Puppet Maker built hell," Vergil said.

"Heh, that's ironic isn't it," Dante said. "But I have to say this demon is weird. I mean, no wonder Mundus got rid of him."

Vergil nodded, looking around for any other entrance. They stood on a stone slab at the base of the river. Where the platform ended was water as black as ink. The stone ceiling above them gave no indication of a pathway. There was only the tiny boat and its damned ferryman. Vergil stared at the stone ceiling and knew that they were up there. He stepped into the boat.

"Verg, are you sure we should do that?" Dante said.

"We don't have a choice," he said. Dante looked as though he would protest but stepped into the boat, rocking it slightly.

The ferryman turned and began rowing; its bones creaking with every stroke. Vergil kept his eyes ahead as they floated into the Inferno.

* * *

**_Let me know what you think. Criticisms are welcomed. Peace everyone!_**


	9. Chapter 9: Lust, Gluttony, and Greed

**_I do not own Devil May Cry or any of the characters, locations, plots, etc. thereof. I do not own any of John Keats' work or "On Seeing the Elgin Marbles."_**

**_Sorry it took so long to update. I really did hurry but my internship has me running around like crazy. New York is one nutty place. _**

**_Thank you to everyone who read and everyone who reviewed. Tora, it is always a pleasure. _**

**_Let me know what you think. _**

**_Enjoy. RR.  
_**

* * *

The boat slid silently through the water, accompanied only by the gentle lap of waves against the sides and the slap of the oar against the river. They were darkness, plunging into the unknown. Vergil strained his ears, trying to discern any sound ahead.

"Vergil, what happens in the book?" Dante whispered behind him.

Vergil looked over his shoulder but could not make out the shape of his brother.

"The first level is limbo, followed by lust," Vergil said.

"This was a bad idea. We don't know what's up there," Dante hissed.

"You didn't need to get in the boat," Vergil said coolly.

They floated in silence. Vergil looked around, seeing the outline of the rocks. Slowly, the cavern began to lighten with a steadily growing blue light. Vergil twitched as something brushed against his hair and looked up.

Above them floated large cubes, suspended in midair. After a few moments of stillness, they would rotate rapidly, repeating the pattern over and over again. _Limbo_, he thought. He watched the cubes as they floated underneath, occasionally dodging the lower hanging ones.

The far side of the cavern came into view: stone ledge against the rock wall with stone carved from the rock extending from it. The boat approached slowly then lightly "thumped" against the shore. Vergil stood up and climbed from the boat and onto the ledge. After Dante was safely next to him, the ferryman pushed off from the ledge with his oar and heading back towards the entrance.

"Well that was uneventful," Dante said.

They started up the narrow stone steps. As they ascended, a slow roaring began to fill their ears. Vergil tilted his head, listening. Eventually, they left the cavern and traveled through a cramped passageway to the next level. A gentle breeze rushed by his cheek and he slowed his walk. Dante charged past, passing through the narrow rectangle of light that was the exit. Vergil followed and the wind tore at their clothes, and tossed their hair into their eyes.

In front of them stood a tall stone pillar, a whirlwind surrounding it. It picked up debris and tossed it into the air, obscuring any possible escape. They stood just out of its reach, staring up into the heart of the cyclone.

"Is this lust? It isn't very sexy," Dante shouted.

Vergil shielded his eyes, the roar nearly drowning out his brother's voice. From within the cyclone a dark shadow passed. He heard the faintest murmur in the wind then a distinct giggle. The cyclone began to spin faster and he felt it tug harder on him, causing his feet to slide forward. Suddenly it expanded and engulfed them and he felt the pull of a hand against his coat and he was thrown off his feet and into the whirlwind.

He spun head over heels, struggling to right himself in the chaos. Dust and debris struck his face, blinding him and he tried reaching for Yamato but was unable to discern the direction of his body. A flash of red streaked by him and he heard Dante curse. Emerging from the blinding wind was the figure of a beautiful, naked woman, small pointed ornaments adorning her arms and legs. She floated easily in the winds, seemingly untouched by their power. Her hair streamed around her, and she smiled seductively at Vergil. With a giggle she reached for him and he struggled away, fighting against the pull of the wind. The woman smiled wickedly and began twirling, becoming a black blur punctuated by flashes of silver.

She spun towards him and he felt the bite of many blades against his torso. The figure rushed away and the wind was dyed with flecks of his blood. A flash of red and Dante spun by, a black figure pursuing him. Vergil grasped for Yamato's hilt as the spinning woman circled again for him.

#######################

Evangeline sat on a pile of soft cushions, forced to watch the spinning dolls with painted faces. The twirled in circles, came together, and danced before spinning off again in a whirl of brightly colored fabrics. As they danced, the constant rattle of wood accompanied them becoming a part of the background music that filled the golden hall of marble.

The Puppet Maker sat next to her, watching his creations with a smile on his face. Everyone few moments his wings would flutter and his normally human eyes would take on an eerie sheen as his smug smile grew wider.

Evangeline's mind stomped around her head, banging on the doors that confined it. _I want my daughter. Where is she? _she thought, feeling the slow ache of sorrow in her chest.

The music picked up and the Puppet Master began to clap and the dolls danced faster and faster. He stood up, and reached out his hand to Evangeline. She felt her body jerk into motion, reaching out to grab his hand. His skin felt painfully hot. He brought her around, swinging her in a wide circle as her legs shuffled under her robes.

"You look as though you can dance," he said, and placed his hand behind her back, drawing her closer. She felt her stomach retch and twist into a knot as his smiling face drew closer. For the first time, she realized he had too many teeth, like that of a predator opening its mouth wide. He spun her once, and began dancing to a waltz. Her feet stumbled over one another as his commands became jumbled. She wanted to close her eyes but could only stare at his smiling face.

###################

Trish dodged behind a boulder, barely avoiding a slow-moving group of demons. She waited for them to pass before emerging, her eyes locked on the tower ahead. She wiped away the sweat with the back of her hand and continued steely determination in her eyes.

###################

Vergil twisted to face the oncoming demon. It spun closer and closer, and he lifted his legs as if bending in a crouch. With a scream it zoomed closer. He strained his muscles and turned just beside it, kicking out his legs and striking the demon. It let out a startled cry as he propelled his body towards the stone tower in the center.

His shoulder slammed painfully into the pillar and he scrambled to get a grip, the winds pulling him away from the wall. He found a hold on a jagged piece of stone that tore the flesh of his hands into ribbons. Digging his foot in, he righted himself just as the demon came closer.

It was a black blur in front of his face and he reached out, gripping the spinning monster around the throat. The demon stopped spinning and its eyes widened with shock. With a grunt he slammed its seductive face into the stone. Its face cracked down the middle like wood, black liquid seeping from it. The demon grew limp and he dropped the lifeless body that was swept up by the wind.

A red blur. Dante cursing. A demon blur quickly following. With his free hand, Vergil grabbed the hilt of Yamato. A few heartbeats later Dante streaked by again, and Vergil quickly unsheathed Yamato. He felt the tug of the demon's naked body slamming into the sword and releasing in two pieces. Black liquid filled the air as the two pieces were swept away.

"Dante!" Vergil cried, his voice picked up and carried away by the wind.

He sheathed Yamato and stretched out his hand as Dante spun by, reaching for it. He missed, and circled around again, finally grasping his brother's wrist. Vergil pulled him to the wall, and Dante clung to the side like a spider; his arms and legs splayed out. Vergil point downward and they made the slow climb to the base.

The lower they climbed, the slower the winds became until they emerged from the bottom of the cyclone and into stiff breezes. Vergil planted his feet on the floor and crouched low, his head spinning from the wind. Dante yelped as the upper half the demon's torso slammed down near him with a sickening splat.

"God damn!" Dante shouted.

A few yards away stood a small gap in the wall. Vergil hurried over and entered. Immediately, his nose was assaulted with a vicious smell. He felt the bile rise in his throat: an uncommon occurrence for him. For a moment, he paused, gagging. Dante stepped up behind him, coughing and Vergil walked forward into the darkness.

His foot slipped on something thick and unpleasant and he stumbled into thin air, his feet suspended in midair before he was tumbling down a steep incline, sliding on the slimy substance. The unknown liquid filled his nose and mouth, and he spat it out only to have it fill his mouth again and again. It smelled like the putrefied remains of a decaying corpse mixed with the sulfurs of hell. He reached out to stop himself, but his hands and feet found no traction and he continued his helpless slide downward.

Suddenly, he hit the hard surface of a level floor and slid forward into a foot of the putrefied substance. Against his better control, he vomited but could not rid himself of the disgusting smell. He heard a thud behind him and the sound of gagging as Dante joined him in the dark room.

"Verg," Dante called weakly.

Vergil stood up and walked toward him, making out his shadow. As he walked, the liquid pulled at his boots, making a loud sucking sound every time he lifted his foot.

"Yeah, Dante."

"I'm sleeping with Evangeline for all this crap," he said.

Vergil spat and looked around. He could see nothing but shadows in the cavern. The foul liquid remained colorless and he was silently grateful for it, not wanting to know the composition of what they stood in. Several yards ahead were the hulking shapes of three large rocks.

"God, Vergil," Dante said as he picked himself up. "Which one is this?"

"Gluttony," Vergil grunted as he pulled his leg out of the muck. "They were punished by being blinded and forced to live in filth."

"That's it?"

Vergil paused. He blinked when the outline of stones began to shift.

"No, Dante. They were guarded by Cerberus," Vergil said. He unsheathed Yamato as the shadow he thought were boulders raised their large heads, glowing green eyes peering down. He could only see the long necks topped with dog heads rising out of the darkness. It snarled, spattering muck over him and Dante. The middle head was thrown back and began convulsing. It opened its mouth with a roar, sending a tidal wave of filth spewing forth. Vergil tried leaping back to avoid it, his feet dragged down the thick liquid. The filth from the monster slammed into him, knocking him off his feet. His head went down into the filth for a moment, and he struggled to breathe. He kept a firm grip on Yamato and rose up, wiping the muck from his face.

A side head darted towards Dante who parried it easily with his sword. The head twisted and snapped at Dante, the teeth barely grazing him. Vergil clambered, soggy, towards it, the filth heavy on him. The middle head snapped at Vergil, and he twisted his body to the side, placed his palm against the tip of the hilt, and stabbed sidewise into the Cerberus' eye. It roared loudly and jerked its head back, carrying Vergil and the embedded Yamato with it.

Vergil quickly climbed to the top of the creature's head as it shook violently, still maintaining his grip on the sword. With one hand gripping the demon's wet fur, he pushed the sword in deeper. The demon growled and shook its head harder, dislodging Vergil and the sword.

He saw the shadow of the side head in his view, turning its attention towards him. He brought Yamato up and the demon opened its maw to swallow him. He felt a surge of demonic rage and the world seemed to slow down. The demon jaw coming towards him, he saw the weak point and waited for it to be inches below his feet before swinging Yamato sidewise and severing the lower jaw. The head looked shocked for a moment and crumpled, the filthy blood spewing from it enhancing the foul stench already permeating the cavern.

Vergil landed again the thick liquid, a slight shiver going up his spine. He turned to see Dante sever the other head, leaving just the middle. Dante gave Vergil the thumbs up and they rushed towards the middle head, swords at the ready. The head went for Vergil and he felt the spray of blood before the release of Yamato from the flesh of the demon's neck. Dante passed by on the other side, cutting through the base of the neck completely. It crashed to the floor, sending up a large splash of the filth that bathed Vergil once again.

He fought his bodily urges for a moment before again releasing the contents of his stomach. With his gloved hand, Vergil wiped his mouth only to realize it was covered with foul liquid and he blanched.

"Geez, was your stomach always that weak?" Dante asked. He slapped Vergil on the back, and Vergil glared at his brother's whose white teeth flashed in the dark.

"I don't live in a rat hole like you," Vergil snapped.

"Have you seen your place? You don't have a front door anymore," Dante laughed. "You stink. Whoo!"

Vergil righted himself and stumbled past the demon to where he was sure its bulk was hiding the escape. He climbed onto the corpse of the demon, avoiding the bleeding stumps. On the other side was a metal door. Vergil gripped the handle and began to open it when Dante's hand shot out and closed it.

"Wait, wait, wait," He said.

Vergil glared. "What?"

"What's the next level?"

"Greed," Vergil said and pulled on the handle.

Dante pushed harder.

"Okay, I am tired of surprises. What happens there?"

"The greedy are made to push weights up a hill with their chest while always running into one another who accuse them of such," Vergil said.

"So, there will be rocks? I can handle rocks," he took his hand away. "You may enter the next level, oh wise guide."

Vergil yanked open the door and quickly shielded his eyes from the light. He stepped through to the sounds of grunting and the rumbling of stones. He blinked and opened his eyes as Dante let out a low whistle.

In front of them was a large hill, slanting up towards the roof of the cavern. Piled around the base and pouring down the sides were mounds and mounds of gold coins. They glittered in the light, casting blinding reflections as it shifted and fell as if spewing forth from the earth. Climbing amongst it were wooden men pushing large boulders as their legs slipped on the gold. Some would make it half way, others would make it further, but all would eventually tumble down the hill, taking others along with them. They would only grunt and stand back up to try again like mechanical toys.

"Can I have some?" Dante said and picked up a handful of gold. He stuffed it into his pocket with a grin.

"Dante, we're in hell and you just gave the perfect display of greed," Vergil hissed.

"Trust me, I've done worse and you still have me beat," he said and grabbed another handful.

They began trudging up the hill, expecting at any moment for the wooden men or some demon to rise up and devour them. Vergil eyed the glinting gold for enemies, unsure of what the Puppet Maker had in mind. Every few moments they would dodge a tumbling boulder or puppet chasing after its burden. Vergil felt the gold coins slip under his feet, sending an avalanche of wealth down the hill.

They reached the top and looked down at the wretched puppets. At the top, a single steel door stood next to a round cutout from the cavern wall. The door was completely smooth with no visible handles or hinges.

Dante walked up to it and felt along the edges for a handhold. Vergil looked at the cut out, noting a small circle at the bottom. He pressed the circle and it gave slightly, causing the metal door to move. He pressed harder but there was no further response.

"This seems way too easy," Dante said.

"He's just toying with us," Vergil said. "Some sort of game for him. We need to push a boulder up here to release the door."

"I prefer demons," Dante said and flexed his muscles. He cracked his neck from side to side and stretched. "But I can handle this."

"We are overcoming our greed. If this what he creates, I can't imagine what they're going through," Vergil said. He looked down at himself, his clothes were crusted over with the filth of the previous cavern and blood stained his coat.

Dante slapped him on the shoulder, "No wasting time, Vergil!"

He started jogging down the hill. Vergil slid down after him. A puppet ran down beside him and Vergil quickly dispatched it with a flick of Yamato. The puppet tumbled into wooden pieces while its boulder rolled and came to a stop at the bottom.

Vergil stood next to Dante and cracked his back, staring at the stone. It seemed small, barely reaching his shoulder. _This is too easy,_ he said. He took a deep breath and pushed his palms against it. The size of the stone gave no indication of its massive weight. Vergil felt like he was pushing the moon condensed into a small sphere. It rocked slightly, but settled back into its original position.

"Come on, Verg," Dante scoffed and pushed him out of the way. He groaned as he pushed it, causing it to roll ever so slightly.

Dante stopped and looked at Vergil.

"I'm sorry for my last comment. Would you like to help?"

Together, they pushed and the stone began to roll.

######################

Evangeline's legs were shaking with the effort to stand up. She was covered in sweat, but still dancing. Inside, she cringed as a stitch developed in her ribs.

The Puppet Maker seemed in a trance. He hummed softly to the music, stroking her hair. She stared over his shoulder, watching the puppets twirl around and around, their brightly colored dresses fluttering around them.

_God, please help me. _

"You are so beautiful," he whispered. "The most perfect thing I have ever created."

_No, I'm not. I am ugly. You despise me. _

"I could not have asked for a better mother to my child."

_Kill me. Kill my daughter. I don't want her living in this hell._

He leaned back and stared Evangeline in the eye.

"You are still so defiant. I can see it. You have yet to fall for me. That's when the dolls become boring: when they just give in. I'd hate to send you to the gallery so soon," he said, his voice sickly sweet.

_I'd rather be there than with you. _

Evangeline's mind stormed around in her head. She screamed and shouted in the vain hope he would hear her thoughts.

"Our daughter will be so beautiful. The future queen of hell. What do you think?"

The muscles of her jaw grew slack as she regained control of her mouth.

"I'd rather be tortured in that rotting cell for an eternity then to see you with her," Evangeline spat.

He only smiled and the muscles tightened again.

"Hopeless human," he said.

_Vergil. _

"You'll see one day the glory of my plan."

_I don't know if you can save me this time. _

The Puppet Master smiled and pressed his lips hard against hers: a searing hot caress. Her insides trembled and a single scream pierced her conscious. Her insides seemed to boil over and in that moment, hope began to shatter under the intensity of the heat.

_Please god, Vergil, don't let me live like this, _she prayed.

_My spirit is too weak — mortality, weighs heavy on me like unwilling sleep_

_##########################_

Vergil's muscles were on fire and felt as though they burst from his skin. The sweat poured down his face and back, and his breath had become shallow and labored. His knees would begin to buckle under the weight and Dante would shout at him before he fell. Slowly, he would rise. As Dante became fatigued, he would urge him along as well.

Vergil could not recall a single moment in his life when he had felt so physically incapable. Mentally, spiritually, yes. He had felt hopeless. Even during his tortures in hell, his body maintained itself and any weakness he chose for himself. But rolling the stone was grueling, miserable, pushing him to ends of his strength and endurance.

Other boulders would slam into theirs, shoving them back a few feet and once, even causing their boulder to roll down the hill completely. He thought with the weight of each collision, his arms would snap in half.

It felt as if a century had passed to roll the boulder halfway, but as they neared the top of the hill, eternity stretched before them.

_We can't make this_, he thought.

He groaned as his left leg gave out.

"Fuck! Vergil, don't stop!" Dante growled between gritted teeth, taking a sudden burst of weight.

The boulder began to roll back on him, but Vergil held his arms out stiffly, digging his knees into the gold coins. With a shout, he rose to his feet, but even together, they seemed unable to push the stone further.

Dante lifted his leg to take a step, but placed it quickly back down. They paused their progress, all their muscles straining just to keep the boulder from tumbling down the hill.

"Dante, push!" Vergil shouted.

"Man," Dante took a deep breath, panting. "All that is standing between you and them is this little rock."

Vergil closed his eyes and saw his ruined home. His mind flashed to Persephone, tiny and helpless. To Evangeline, possibly dead in her defiance.

_She wouldn't give in. She'd die before giving in. I am too powerful to be defeated._

Vergil pushed, putting his whole weight into it. The stone began to move and rolled forward a few inches. With a yell, Dante pressed his body into it, and slowly it inched its way towards the top.

_Just a few more feet._

The top of the hill had a slight lip, and the boulder balanced precariously upon it. With a final heave that made his heart feel as if it would burst, Vergil tipped the boulder over the top of the hill and it rolled easily into its slot next to the door.

With a rumble, the metal door slid open. Vergil collapsed next to it, sprawling himself across the ground. The gold coins felt cool against his burning skin. His chest heaved up and down, and he wondered if he could move his body. He lifted one arm which shook and fell limply to the ground with the effort.

He wasn't sure how long he and Dante lay there. Eventually, his body no longer felt like liquid and he slowly sat up. Dante just stared at the ceiling, groaning.

"You always make me do all the work," Dante said.

"Maybe if you weren't so greedy," Vergil responded. He cautiously rose to his feet. His legs were shaky, but managed to carry him. Dante grunted and stood up, using the wall for support.

Vergil made his way to the door, and entered. A set of stairs led upwards. Wafting from the tunnel were bursts of heat.

"Dante," Vergil looked over his shoulder. Dante's sweaty face stared back. "The fifth circle is anger where souls are submerged in the river Styx and fight each other."

"I'll take that over a fucking boulder any day," Dante responded, his face deadly serious.

Vergil weakly climbed the stairs, emerging at a wooden dock on the top. The heat was oppressive, and pressed against him at all sides. Surrounding the dock was a boiling, swampy lake. Steam rose off it in waves, making the air heavy. Bubbles floated to the top and burst, sending a spray of hot liquid. Under the surface were shifting forms, faces emerging from the waters before disappearing.

A short distance from the dock, a boat slowly made its way towards them. Another cloaked figure manned it silently across the waters. It stopped at the dock and gestured for them to climb in. When they were both settled in the boat, the ferryman slowly turned it and started across the boiling lake.

The heat grew in intensity as they rowed across the water. He felt as though his skin would melt. The bottom of the boat was painfully hot through his boots. Vergil's eyes watched the waters and the disappearing faces. He didn't notice the silent form emerging from the waters.

A hand reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling Vergil from the boat, his face only inches from the boiling water.

_And each imagined pinnacle and steep, of godlike hardship tells me I must die_

_

* * *

__**Your comments are appreciated. Peace! **__  
_


	10. Chap 10: Wrath, Heresy, Violence, Fraud

**_I do not own Devil May Cry or any of the stories, characters, plots, locations, etc. thereof. I do not own the Divine Comedy by Dante. _**

**_So sorry this took so long. I've been busy with my internship that usually consists of crushing dreams. Thank you to all those who read and reviewed. I really appreciate your kind words. _**

**_Enjoy. RR. Let me know what you think.  
_**

* * *

Evangeline wanted to struggle: raise her arms and push him away, tear at his face and eyes. She wanted to plunge her face into boiling water to sear the taste of his lips away. He pressed harder, more earnestly as if she would somehow wander away from him. She felt his hand slide between the folds of fabric, his fingers clumsily brushing her torso.

"You are the most perfect doll. The mother of my daughter," the Puppet Maker whispered. He clasped his hands around her face.

Evangeline felt her eyes burning with anger. Her insides convulsed with disgust at his display of affection. Not for her, but for the slave he controlled.

"With you, I could create an army. Half-breeds have proven to be quite powerful," he said with a sickening smile.

She didn't know if she wanted to vomit or cry or both as he brought his searing lips against hers for another kiss. His hands worked to remove the band at her waist. Suddenly, he stopped and stared her in the eye.

"I want you to struggle," he said.

Her entire body jerked into motion and for a moment, she thought she may be free and willed herself to flee. Instead, her limbs moved sluggishly and weakly as they pressed against him in mock resistance. Her legs were stiff as she slowly ran from him. The fleeting feeling of freedom, the sensation of a struggle that was really his doing horrified her.

"Speak," he cried. His arms encircled her wriggling body once more as she felt her mouth regain its independence.

"Oh, god no!" she screamed. He laughed and her mind struggled with the voice that was hers but the body still possessed. "Stop! Don't touch me!"

The band fell away, and the robes pulled apart, revealing white undergarments and pink skin. She wanted to pull it back together, to cover herself, but her hands made no motion.

"Dammit, why won't you listen?" she screamed at her body.

The Puppet Maker pushed her to the floor. The robes fell open as he stood leering above her. He grasped her leg and tugged her closer, and she felt sick with the anticipation of what would happen next. Her voice was lost and she could say nothing.

"Sir!"

The sharp voice bit through the sounds of music and struggle. The Puppet Maker calmly turned his head towards his well-dressed minion, freezing for a moment.

"Yes, Dandy?" he said.

The demon's squared face held no expression towards the scene.

"We're off schedule and need your help in the building room for some of the more delicate processes. The doll you made has malfunctioned and destroyed several of the mechanical soldiers."

The Puppet Maker sighed and dropped Evangeline's leg. He snapped his fingers at the still twirling dolls and they stopped. They rushed over to Evangeline and lifted her up, adjusting her robes and hair.

"Another time, my dear," The Puppet Maker said. "You may sit. They'll bring you my daughter for feeding."

Evangeline sobbed silently, her mind dissolving into fits of rage, fear, and the disgust of violation. As the dolls led her back to the cushions, she could not even think of her daughter soon to be in her arms. She felt too helpless.

#########################

Vergil's face was inches from the water; the steam from the boiling liquid seared his skin. A blistered hand was on his shoulder, pulling him downward as his hands braced themselves against the side of the boat. The boat tipped tightly with his weight until Dante grasped him around the waist and pulled backward.

The arm released and returned to its owner hidden in the depths of the boiling water. Vergil sat hard on the boat's seat then quickly leapt his feet. His weight rocked the boat, splashing searing water onto his leg. Dante placed a hand on his shoulder, steadying both their weights. The ferryman continued rowing, methodically dipping the oar into the water to carry them across, seemingly indifferent towards the attack.

Cries issued forth from the water: gurgling choking sounds as lungs inhaled liquid. Vergil's eyes scanned the shifting surface, watching arms bearing swords shoot out as hideously melted bodies emerged.

An axe wielding creature, its face a mess of flesh that was indistinguishable as human, reached the boat. Dante swung his sword in a wide arc, removing its head. The boat rocked violently with the momentum, and Vergil grabbed Dante to center their weight. _We can't use swords,_ his thought quickly.

Two more latched onto the boat.

"Dante, give me a gun," Vergil hissed as splash of water burnt the flesh of his hand.

Dante slapped the broad side of the gun against Vergil's chest, struggling to keep his balance. Vergil untangled the gun from Dante's fingers and aimed it at the two creatures tilting the boat towards them. He fired twice, two perfect bullet holes appearing in their heads. They fell back into the water, three more rising to take their place.

The cavern erupted with sounds of bullets and their echoes. Creatures screamed in pain as they sunk into the water below. One threw itself against the boat, flopping the upper-half of its body into the boat. It swung the sword weakly and Vergil stepped onto the bench to avoid it.

The boat pitched towards it. Vergil and Dante began falling forward and they bent in half, straining their bodies against falling into the water. Heat wafted into Vergil's face. The demon slid out of the boat, sending Vergil and Dante tumbling onto the floor as it righted itself.

Vergil glanced at the ferryman who seemed rooted into place. As creatures grabbed its oar, he would calmly shake them loose and continue. Around the ferryman's long black robe, Vergil saw the approaching shore. He felt the grip of a demon on his shoulder and he fired the gun; the weight disappeared and he scrambled to his feet.

The shore edged painstakingly closer. Bodies floated in the water, new creatures emerging from beneath them. In the distance, Vergil could see the melted demons fighting each other, littering the river with their corpses.

He felt the boat bump against the rocky shore and he immediately leapt from the boat on onto the shore. Walking backwards, he continued firing into the demons. They swam to the shore, hands reaching for them. Slowly, they crawled, but as if tied to the water by an invisible noose, they could not fully emerge from it.

Vergil watched, and after a moment the demons halted their pursuit and disappeared into the boiling depths. The cavern became heavy with silence, except for the sound of his breathing.

Dante turned towards Vergil.

"That was hot!" he said. He bent over and put his hands on his knees, laughing.

Vergil shot him a withering glare and turned towards the door carved into the stone of the cavern.

A narrow set of stairs led upwards. He braced himself for an onslaught of sounds and sensations, but the climb was silent and he only smelled musty air. Faint light issued forth from the exit. As he neared it, he turned his body slightly and placed his hand on Yamato.

Emerging from the stairwell, a large room of blue marble lay before them. Torches lined the walls, sending faint shadows skittering across the floor and ceiling. In front of them, the floor was carved into squares like that of a massive chessboard. Vergil strained his ears, listening for any sound. The room responded with silence.

"I don't see anything," Dante said. He voice fell flat in the cavern.

"This should be heresy. The heretics are trapped in tombs of flames," Vergil responded.

"Something is going to jump out eventually. We might as well get started," Dante said.

They stepped forward together onto the squares. Behind them a wall of fire rose up. The cavern roared with sound of screams and flames as all hell broke loose. From the edges of the squares, walls of flame emerged. Rising from the floor, writhing forms burning inside their tombs of fire. They cried out in pain, unable to escape.

Flames shot up next to Vergil, singeing his arm. Suddenly, they began shifting, creating a maze of fire rushing towards them. Dante bolted and Vergil followed after, a single wall of flame separating them.

Vergil felt the sharp pain of heat on his back as he ran. Deftly, he jumped out of the way as four walls began to enclose around him. Dante appeared again next to him and Vergil pulled him out of the way just before a final wall trapped him.

He continued running, sweat pouring down his back. A flame leaped into life in front of him, licking his face with searing heat. He dodged to the side, encountering the screaming form of a charred body. Swiftly, he cut it down and continued, losing track of Dante in the melee of fire and screaming forms.

Suddenly, he came to a single unending wall of fire. He could see on the other side, a slight ledge and freedom. He bunched his coat around his face and leaped through the fire. The acrid stench of burning hair and leather filled his nose. His skin was screaming in protest to the heat around it. Vergil's feet hit the ledge and he rolled, no longer in the maze of flames.

He gently touched the skin of his face: tender as if sunburned. Looking up, he saw Dante standing over him, his face red like his demon form. Dante held out his hand to his brother who brushed it aside and stood up.

_I feel so weak_, he thought. He straightened his back and felt his skin protest as it was pulled tight. His chest ached from the deep gashes left by the demon and he could feel blisters forming from the boiling lake. The Puppet Maker's inferno was like an endurance test, and every unmovable mountain of a challenge seemed to grow larger as his body grew tired. Vergil closed his eyes. How can he claim to be her father if he was unable to overcome the madhouse of a deranged toymaker?

Green eyes stared at him.

"Verg?" Dante said quietly.

Vergil opened his eyes, his face again the perfect mask of unflappable stone. Passing Dante, he walked down the narrow path of the stone to the next test.

#####################

Evangeline cringed inside. The flames heated her skin painfully and her heavy robes clung to her body with sweat. A few feet away, the dolls silently played with Persephone, waving rattles of silver above her head. After Evangeline had nursed her, the dolls redid her clothing and placed her too close to the fire. Despite their obvious mistake and lack of humanity, she felt an inkling of sympathy towards the wooden creatures. They looked nearly human, perhaps in some way they felt the weight of their bonds. At least for the moment, they were the only thing Evangeline could relate to.

Persephone fussed in their arms, occasionally letting out small wails. A continual ache in Evangeline's heart grew with every helpless cry. Then it dawned on her that if they never escaped. Even when the Puppet Maker grew tired of her and tossed her into the gallery with all the other dolls, Persephone would acclimate to his world. She would never remember how human she was, her flawed mother, or the father who would be desperate for her. The ache grew to dread and her heart felt as if it would stop beating.

In the hallway, the heavy sound of footfalls echoed. She stared straight at the dolls and her daughter, until the Puppet Maker put his face into her line of vision. A slight snarl was on his well-formed face, exposing the demonic truth which lay beneath his human façade. The unnatural lines of his face stood out suddenly and she was again aware of how many teeth he did possess.

"Look at me, my dear," the Puppet Maker said to her. Her eyes snapped towards him instantly.

"I think you've spent enough time with her," he said. "You do no good posed in front of this fire. What if I should have guests?"

Evangeline felt a moment of panic to be separated from her distressed child. The Puppet Maker gripped her forearm painfully and lifted her to her feet. Her eyes remained on him as she did and Persephone was lost to her sight. He led her from the room, and the last thing she heard was a high-pitched cry and her heart shattered.

#######################

They entered into a small cavern and Vergil titled his head back. In front of them was a massive steel gate, stretching to the very top of the cavern. It was flanked on either side by two jutting cliffs. Rising from the metal of the gate were barbs of steel ready to stop and would be trespasser.

Dante let out a low whistle.

Vergil glanced at him sideways before rushing forward. As he passed beside the left boulder he heard a loud crash. He barely had enough time to stick out his arms in reflex before the heavy hammer slammed into his body, sending him reeling backwards and knocking the wind from his lungs. _Stupid_, he thought.

With the loud screech of metal, the massive steel minotaur stepped out from its hiding place. Like the metal warriors of before, its body was a patchwork of fused metal, nearly impenetrable. Adorning its head were two horns twisted like the branches of a tree.

Vergil fell to one knee as Dante sprinted forward towards the mechanical beast. With cry, Dante swung Force Edge towards the beast's torso only to have in slide down its side, leaving the creature unscathed. The minotaur slammed the hammer downward as Dante darted out of the way.

Vergil climbed to his feet and ran, leaping off the wall and towards the minotaur's head. The demon snapped its head upward towards him and reached one massive hand towards his falling form. Vergil twisted out of the way, landing behind the creature as Dante slammed his sword into the joint behind the demon's knee, sending it tumbling to the ground. The creature fell to its side, its metal hooves scrambling for a hold on the ground.

He stepped forward towards the demon, only to be stopped by its wildly swinging hammer. Swiftly, he jumped onto the demon's chest. His hands scrambled for an opening in the metal. The beast reached for him and Vergil flattened himself against its chest, digging his fingers into the plates around its neck but finding no opening into to the internal heart of the beast.

"Vergil! Get out of the way!" Dante shouted.

The demon pushed off the ground and Vergil jumped away from it, landing next to Dante.

"We need to get to its core," Vergil hissed.

"Yeah, so start hacking!" Dante snapped. He ran forward again. Vergil watched as his brother was thrown backward with a well thrown back hand by the minotaur. Dante threw himself at the monster again and again only to have the creature toss him away like a persistent gnat. His eyes scoured the demon's body for any opening, but the metal form was sealed shut.

His eyes traveled from the minotaur to the cliff behind it. Vergil rushed by the battling demons and leapt onto the cliff, gripping tightly to the stones. Quickly, he climbed hand over hand up the side of the cliff. He looked down briefly and saw the shrunken form of Dante hack at the demon.

He focused his eyes on a narrow ledge above his head. Reaching it, he climbed on top and pulled himself to his feet. Glancing down, he watched the two forms move below him. Slowly, the demon crossed beneath the ledge.

He jumped upwards, and in one fluid motion he unsheathed Yamato and easily sliced through the rock face. The stone began to rumble and he slammed his feet down hard on upon the weakened stone, sending them tumbling to floor below. He followed, riding a large rock down towards the minotaur.

Dante looked up and dashed away. The metal demon did not have the opportunity as the massive boulder carrying Vergil smashed into it its head. He felt the demon crumple like a tin can and the rumble of the boulder hitting the ground. As the dust cleared, he stepped down from the boulder and looked behind him.

A single sharpened end had smashed through the demon's outer shell, splitting open its chest and piercing the red orb of its heart. It lay beneath the rock like a dissected animal on a lab table.

Vergil turned towards Dante and smirked.

"Show off," Dante mumbled.

"You can learn a thing or two," Vergil said.

Dante rolled his eyes and walked towards the metal gate. With a swift kick, they groaned and opened slightly. Dante squeezed through the opening and Vergil followed, meeting the cursing Dante.

Stretching far into the cavern was a forest of thorns and brambles. Their twisted limbs stretched up towards the ceiling as if hoping to fill the entire space. The brambles stood just above their heads and stood so close it was impossible to see through them.

Experimentally, Vergil swung Yamato, cutting a large section of thorns and vines away. The separated pieces fell away and decayed, but in an instant, new vines had taken their place and reached towards Vergil's hand.

He looked at Dante whose tired face stared back.

"Keep swinging and move fast," Vergil said. He dived into the forest thorns.

#########################

"I'm so sorry our time together is always cut short," the Puppet Maker said.

He led Evangeline through the great hall. Her heart began pounding with the expected attack. Set in the middle was a golden platform adorned with plush pillows of red and gold.

He led her to the pedestal and stopped, bringing her towards him. She felt sick as he held her closer. His hands traveled along her side, twining themselves inside the fold of the fabric. Briefly, he pressed his lips against hers.

_Oh, god no_, she thought. Her mind seemed too worn out to protest anymore. To her relief, he stopped and pulled away.

Sighing, he ran a hand through her hair, his face overly saddened.

"Things are not going so well in the factory. It seems we are behind schedule. I already had to destroy several dolls that couldn't properly do their jobs. But soon, we will have some time. As soon as I have everything in order to give our daughter a kingdom," he said.

_Go to hell you sick fuck,_ she thought.

The Puppet Maker swept her up into his arms and easily jumped onto the platform. Carefully, he arranged her in a sitting position on the pillows. He spent a moment adjusting her robes before stepping down and staring at her with a satisfied expression.

He walked away and when silence overtook the room, the lights went out, leaving her in darkness.

#####################

The edges of Vergil's coat had become nothing but tatters. He pressed his body through the brambles, feeling them pull at his hair and clothing, biting sharply into his skin. His exposed flesh was crisscrossed with tiny scratches. The vines seemed to reach out and grab him, pulling him backwards, preventing him from moving forward. With every three steps he took, he was dragged back another.

He pulled his arm wielding Yamato free of prickly branch and swung it sideways, lopping off a few feet of foliage. Quickly, he stepped through the path as the new vines grew around him. For an hour he had repeated this process again and again. Sweat had begun beading on his forehead, and his arm had stiffened from the repetitive motion. Dante a few feet to his side also faced the same obstacle. As fatigue began to slow him down, the brambles caught him more often and dragged him back further.

Vergil tried looking to see how far he had gone, but the vines required constant attendance. His mind had become blank in the never ending thorn forest; he was a demonic gardener, plowing down everything in his path.

He paused for a split second and was suddenly entrapped amongst the branches that had grown to replace their companions.

_No! _he growled in his head. _I will not stop. Break free you pathetic excuse for a demon. You should have remained in hell for your weakness. _

He tore his arm free. _They need you. Save them. Save yourself, your family. Don't fail this time. _

With a roar that erupted from the deepest regions of his heart, he hacked and slashed at the vines in front of him and charged forward. The thorns seemed to shrink away from this onslaught of fury as he tore at them like a madman, reaching for the end. A blue glow erupted from him, and he lost himself in within the demonic essence that carried him through his weakest moments. He was simply, a devil.

Suddenly, metal hit stone and he was shaken back to humanity like emerging from a deep sleep. He blinked and looked around at the clearing and the arched, stone doorway just a foot from him. Glancing behind him, he saw a blackened path of shredded and charred plant matter.

Dante poked his head up above the vines, the turned and cut his way towards Vergil's path. He ran down the trail of destruction just as it began to fill in.

"Whoa, Verg," he said as he reached his side. Tiny scratches covered Dante's face as he surveyed his brother with narrowed eyes. "You okay?"

Vergil looked down at his hand no longer covered with the small wounds from the thorns then back to Dante.

"I'm fine," he said and started towards the door.

#######################

Trish ran. Her legs pumping faster than the ever had in her entire life. No demons pursued her, but she knew it would only be a matter of time. She just prayed to whatever god there may be that she would arrive in time.

#######################

_Please. I don't want it to end like this. I know you have no reason to listen to me. But she's just a baby. He's a devil, but make him godlike. Help him save her._

_#########################_

Vergil took a cautious look over the lip of the pit. He heard a million cries issue forth from it, but could see nothing in its black depths. He glanced at his brother. Dante' lip was curled into a sneer, but his eyes were wide.

"None of this is real, Dante. It's just something the Puppet Maker created," Vergil said.

"He did one hell of a job," Dante said, not looking at the pit.

They looked up at the cavern that rose high above them. Wheeling above the pit, and high into the cavern were dozens of black forms. Dragon like creatures with green, scaly bodies, leathery wings, and long flew around absently. At the end of each foot was a furry lion's paw. One came close to the ledge where they were standing and Vergil saw the three heads joined together, each resembling an old man with a flowing beard. The eyes stared at nothing as it passed, as if they were wearing human masks.

"This is fraud," Vergil said.

"It looks pretty real," Dante said.

Vergil snapped his eyes towards him. Dante raised his hands in surrender.

"It was a joke," he said.

"We need to go up," Vergil said, ignoring his apology.

"Well that's easy enough," Dante said.

Vergil opened his mouth to suggest a plan, but Dante had already leapt onto the back of a passing demon. He gripped tufts of beard as he clung to beasts back. It made no sound, but fumbled in the air as its wings buckled with the extra weight. For a moment, it fell towards the pit, but strained its muscles and began gliding again.

Dante let out a whoop and pulled hard on the beast's hair. It shot upward towards its companions.

"Come on, Verg!" Dante shouted down.

Vergil glanced down at the pit that had no end, his less reckless side whispering in his ear. Then another demon passed by. It circled around the lip of the pit as if waiting for Vergil to jump.

He took a deep breath, waited for the beast to move closer, and leaped. Vergil's creature groaned as he landed hard on its back, just in front of the flapping wings. It wobbled for a moment, righting itself, and Vergil's face was tilted down towards the darkness below. His stomach lurched at the prospect of falling, but the demon corrected its flight. Vergil gripped a handful of gray, wiry hair and pulled. The beast hissed and pulled up, heading towards Dante.

The air whistled past his ears as they flew upwards. Suddenly, they were in a midst of horde of the flying creatures. His hand flew to Yamato's hilt, but they paid no heed to their mounted companions.

_ Just like the inferno_, he thought.

Dante darted by, laughing heartily.

"Man, I haven't done this in ages," he said as he turned the demon around.

Vergil continued traveling upward, searching for the familiar exit. His mind was fixated on the next circle, and he knew what they would be facing.

Nearly at the top of the cavern, he spotted the entrance to a tunnel. As he flew by it, he felt a rush of cold air wash over him. He pulled hard on the demon's hair, moving it sideways. Within a few feet of the entrance's ledge, he jumped off, sending a few rocks falling to their doom below as he landed.

Dante flew by again, flipping the monster in midair acrobatics. After a quick figure eight, he frowned and brought the beast closer. Using its head a spring board, he jumped off and landed next to Vergil.

"You're no fun," Dante said.

"Excuse me if my daughter and lover are in dire trouble," Vergil snapped.

"Why so tense? You don't look so good," Dante said.

Vergil relaxed his furrowed brow and let out the breath he had been holding.

"Do you know what the last circle is?" he asked.

Dante shook his head.

"The final circle is treachery. Where the worst sinners are sentenced to spend an eternity encased in ice while the three betrayers of history are gnawed upon by the king of hell," Vergil said.

"You mean the devil?"

Vergil nodded the gravity of the words forming in his head. The fear of the unknown creature the Puppet Maker had created.

"We're going to meet Satan."

* * *

**_Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your thoughts. I will work as quick as bunny to get the next chapter out but it may be a while. Peace._**


	11. Chapter 11: The Devil

**_I do not own Devil May Cry or any of the stories, characters, plots, location, etc. thereof. _**

**_Thanks guys. Sorry again it took a while, but life is busy. _**

**_I hope you enjoy it. RR please!  
_**

* * *

The silence was eating at Evangeline, and as she stared at the wall in front of her, she was sure the darkness was growing. Like a toy a child had grown too big for, she waited, unable to move even her eyes to stare. Panic began to mount and she wondered if anyone would return.

_I'm going to die here. I'm actually going to die here. _

_ Get a grip Evangeline!_

_ I can't. He hasn't come. What if he never comes?_

_ He always comes._

_ I don't think I'm going to make it. _

_ I'm going to die down here. _

_ At least it will be a shorter trip to the afterlife…_

_##############  
_

Vergil closed his eyes, feeling the cold air from the cave wash over his flushed skin. Inside his chest, his heart pounded a little faster. The hairs on the back of his neck began to rise.

He had faced thousands of devils, destroying every one that came stood in his path. In every shape, form, color, and size they stood against him and fell bloody by the way of his sword. Even as a failure, he had faced down Mundus, the very ruler of hell.

But something about facing this demon unnerved him. Not a devil, but _The_ Devil, or at least, someone's imagining of him. Lucifer, Satan, Beelzebub, the figure written about and feared. The image that sent human hearts racing. The source of all evil.

He was going to destroy it.

Vergil turned towards Dante. His brother stared expectantly at him, his face a mask of seriousness. Vergil noted the deep scratches in his face, the smudges of dirt and other substances, and the weary shadow.

_I guess we are twins. _

"Let's go," Vergil said.

He stepped into the dark, cold of the cave. Pressing his hand against the freezing stone, he felt his way through the darkness. As he walked deeper into the tunnel, the wall became slick with ice. Slowly, the path began to lighten, making visible little puffs of breath. The tunnel began to widen before suddenly ending and emptying into a large cavern.

The first thing that struck him was the bite of the cold. It was a punch to stomach and he felt his body stop in shock as if he had dived into a pool of freezing water. He closed his eyes and slowly began breathing, calming his panicking body. He felt the crystallization of his nose, his lungs aching from the cold air. Every few seconds, a gust would pass over him, causing a chill to race up his spine.

Opening his eyes, he finally saw the cavern that lay in front of them.

It was a vast cavern of ice, illuminated by a light blue glow. Stalactites hung like giant icicles from the ceiling. Beneath their feet, was the glistening surface of an ice lake. Beneath the ice, faces pressed were pressed against surface, eternally frozen as they searched for a way out.

Vergil felt the wind pass over him again and the soft flap of leather wings. He followed the breeze up to the hulking shadow in the back of the cavern. It lorded over the room, a massive monster from nightmares. Though it was submerged up to its waist in ice, from the surface to the top of its head, it rose six stories tall. Its skin was a deep red, barely stretching over its massive muscles. The red beast leaned forward on its hands, endless flapping its massive wings. Two stubby horns protruded from its forehead, adorning a relatively human face at it slowly gnawed at the three bodies hanging from its jaws. One fang punctured the torso of a body whose legs squirmed widely.

"Vergil. He wasn't very original," Dante whispered.

"But he was ambitious," Vergil said, never removing his eyes from the massive beast.

"Have any ideas about how we should tackle this?" Dante asked, eyes wide.

Vergil's mind went blank. He looked at his brother then back at the beast. His eyes scanned every angle, any weakness, in the hulking giant. By sheer mass, the beast was impenetrable. Bone and muscle feet thick, not inches.

"We'll do it your way this time," Vergil said.

He drew Yamato and with a yell, ran forward towards the beast. His shout seemed to awaken the Devil from its reverie. Its wings fluttered and its eyes narrowed on the small figure running towards it. The Devil lifted its head from its hand, opening its jaws wide as the bodies tumbled from it.

The beast watched as Vergil ran towards him and smiled, exposing rows of sharp teeth. Vergil nearly stopped in his tracks upon seeing the grinning Devil. It swept out one giant arm, palm exposed, and Vergil dropped to the ice. Inches from his nose was a frozen face, screaming. He felt the rush of air as the mass of flesh passed over him. Glancing up, he saw the Devil laughing. It was a deep, throaty bellow that shook the entire cavern.

Vergil jumped to his feet and Dante joined him at his side.

"You wanna keep laughing big guy? You won't be laughing when I use this sword to cut out your heart!" Dante shouted.

The Devil tossed its head back and laughed again before settling into a sardonic smile.

"Pathetic humans," it rumbled. It seemed impossible that the beast's mouth could make the sounds of speech.

"I am the figure of every nightmare. I am evil incarnate. Do you think you can defeat me?" it growled.

"Hey, I've faced monsters as bi….nearly as big as you before," Dante yelled, pointing his sword towards the Devil.

The Devil laughed again, and Vergil felt the slow rage of battle building in his blood.

"I know the very sins in your soul. The guilt that tears you to pieces," it growled.

Vergil felt a slight stab of fear, wondering if it did indeed somehow know.

_It's not real, Vergil, _he told himself.

"Well fuck you! I don't regret anything," Dante yelled. "So why don't you shut your fat mouth and actually fight!"

Dante shouldered Vergil out of the way and rushed at the beast. Its arm darted out, claws grasping for him. Dante swung Force Edge downward, cutting into the red flesh of the demon's finger. It reared its hand back in a vicious back swing, sending Dante skittering across the ice.

Vergil dodged the beast's other arm and swiftly moving fist. The arm passed close to his shoulder and he sliced sidewise into the skin. Yamato entered two feet into the Devil's arm but only managed to penetrate the skin: a cat scratch.

Using the leverage of Yamato, he jumped onto the massive arm, running towards its face. The Devil twisted toward him and he plunged the tip of his sword into the muscle of the bicep. Black liquid oozed from the hole and the beast laughed. Vergil felt like a mouse with a toothpick.

The Devil swatted at him with his free hand as a human would a misquito. Vergil withdrew Yamato and swiveled, barely missing the thumb. Taking advantage of the distraction, Dante rushed forward and stabbed into the Devil's exposed rib. It looked down with annoyance at Dante and forgot about Vergil long enough to flick one tree sized finger at Dante.

Vergil gathered himself and ran towards the demon's face. One massive eye turned towards him as he launched himself towards it. The Devil snapped his teeth Vergil, who kicked off one fang and brought Yamato down on the eye. The beast blinked and roared as the blade bit into the eyelid.

With one hand it swung, throwing Vergil into a nearby stalagmite. He grunted as his spine cracked against the ice. He tumbled to the ground, twisting his body into time to land in a painful pushup.

His vision swam for a moment then went black as the Devil's hand slapped him into the ice like he was a fly. He heard a snap as his rib cracked from the pressure. The air rushed out his lungs. As the hand pulled away, he lay there for a moment unable to move with the pain screaming through his entire form.

Slowly he lifted his head and wanted to put it back down as he realized his attack left only a thin trace of black blood on across the corner of the demon's eye. Dante was darting around it, as the Devil's tried to capture him in its grasp.

Vergil pulled himself to his knees before slumping back onto the floor. His body ached with pain and fatigue. His bones felt brittle, his muscles spasmed with the exertion energy to carry himself. For a moment, he wanted nothing more than to lie on the cold ice and never move again.

_It's too big. Nothing can scratch it,_ he thought.

A painful throbbing started in his heart. His stomach twisted into a knot as the familiar feeling of defeat overtook him. He trembled, lowering his forehead to the floor. How can he defeat something that was impervious? There was no weakness, no way to get to its vulnerable core. They would fight until they were exhausted then be swallowed whole.

His head shot up off the ice and his heart pounded with renewed vigor. Dante still danced around the fiend, barely dodging its attacks and futilely attacking it. Slowly, Vergil pushed off from the ground. With a grunt, he pulled himself off his knees and into a standing position as his body protested. His head began to swim, but he stumbled forward.

Reaching deep for the last bit of energy, he triggered his devil form and felt a burst of sudden strength. He ran forward and jumped onto the arm of the Devil which it had laid momentarily on the ice. Blindly, he darted towards its face and drew Yamato as he ran. He leapt towards its face as a hand swiped the place he had last been. The beast grinned and opened its maw into a gaping hole. Vergil tucked himself into a ball and felt the jaws close around him, a tooth grazing his shoulder. With one great swallow, he felt himself being dragged down the dark throat of the Devil and in the stinking saliva he wondered if he had made the right call.

###############

Evangeline's insides began to tremble. She felt the familiar pressure of tears and they spilled down her face on their own accord. She heard nothing, saw nothing and wondered if she had died. Only the frantic pounding of her heart convinced her she was still alive. Her thoughts were scattered, falling into a million shards of glass. She remembered Vergil, scenes of their short time together: holding Persephone for the first time, his eyes after making love, the image of his face in rage. Little details emerged, like the slight rise in the corner of his eyes whenever he was surprised. How when he ate, he always wiped his mouth after every bite. Then like jumping into ice cold water, her mind halted and all she could hear was her own sobbing within her mind.

################

Vergil kept his mouth clamped shut as he slid down the Devil's throat. Mucus coated him and he felt the urge to vomit again. He felt a thrumming against him and he gasped as a broken rib pressed inward. He landed feet first in a cavity and he reached out, feeling the smooth wall of some kind of casing.

Muscles pressed against him, squeezing tighter. His elbow pressed into his side painfully. The air rushed out of his lungs and his skull pounded painfully as he was jostled around. Twisting, his head was pressed against the wall as he reached for Yamato. He felt the handle and pushed downward. He felt the tug and release as the blade punctured the organ. With a whoosh, it tore and he tumbled out and onto a metal slab.

Vergil shook his head and took a deep breath of the stagnant air. He swiped his hand over his face and flicked his fingers, freeing a splatter of mucus. Beneath him was a metal slab. He looked up and saw a skeleton of gears and metal bones covered with arteries filled with black. The stomach was above him like a deflated balloon, the only piece of flesh within the mechanical beast.

He tried to stand, but fell to his knee as he became lightheaded. Pushing off his knee, he stood up and peered into the belly of the Beast. Gears shifted and ground against each other as the Devil fought with Dante. It was a maze of crushing wheels and jagged teeth. The entire structure would suddenly shift for what he assumed was a swift attack or sudden lunge. Behind him, the spine of metal suddenly lurched forward and knocked into his back.

Sheathing Yamato, he turned towards the spine and climbed the bones like a ladder. As he reached the first gear, he inched his way around it, using the side of the Beast as leverage. The gear's teeth snagged a section of his shirt and tore it away. He jumped onto the top of the gear that spun him around as he planned his next move.

Above his head was a vertical turned gear that rotated against a horizontal one. He reached up and grabbed the edge of the vertical gear, allowing it to carry him towards the next one. As his fingers neared the crushing the union, he tucked his boot into another tooth and jumped, barely saving his fingers as he landed on horizontal gear.

An interlocking trio were above him, but a small gap between two was just large enough for him. Peering through the teeth, he saw a beating red light shining through. Turning, he climbed the spine again, causing pools of black liquid to sprout beneath his feet as he tore arteries. When his head was inches from the gears, he slowed his pace and carefully reached through the gab and grabbed the rib above it. Slowly, he pulled himself through the rotating gears big enough to squeeze his head from his neck. When his whole body was through, he stepped back onto the gear.

He grunted as he fell onto the gear. There was an earth shattering squeal as the heel of his boot lodged into the point where the gears met. It took all his strength to keep his ankle from being pulled in though a terrible pain radiated out from his crushed heel. With a growl, he pulled his boot free and saw a bloodied hole where there should have been leather.

Gritting his teeth, he rose to his feet, placing the majority of his weight on his uninjured foot. His eyes landed on the pulsing red orb above him, the size of a boulder. He withdrew Yamato and with a mighty heave, threw it into the orb, piercing it through the middle. The sword stuck as a deep groan resonated from the Beast and the gears ground to a halt. The entire body lurched forward sending Vergil toppling into the side of the creature. After a moment, everything became quiet as the Beast no longer moved.

Through the wall separating them, Vergil heard a faint voice.

"Vergil? Vergil?"

Vergil limped over to the spine and climbed up towards the darkened orb to retrieve Yamato. Dislodging the sword, he dropped down and immediately regretted it as a shot of pain went through his leg from his damaged heel. He felt his body slowly begin to repair his damaged heel, but not fast enough to save him from limping again.

He walked to the wall and pressed the tip of the sword into the side and pressing it through to the other side.

"Hey!" responded.

Vergil sliced a portion of the Devil's flesh away, creating a hole just large enough to squeeze through. He slid through and emerged onto the ice where Dante stood with his arms crossed.

Vergil looked at Dante. "I defeated it."

"Dammit! I though you were dead," Dante growled.

"I didn't see you killing the monster," Vergil snapped.

Dante sighed and ran a filthy hand through his hair. "That was pretty bad ass."

"Yes. Yes, it was," Vergil said.

"Don't let it get to your head. Now how do we get out of this place?"

"Haven't you figured it out? It's always on the other side of the monster," Vergil said.

They made their way around the inert, lifeless form of the Devil. It was slumped over like a toppled doll. Behind the Beast was a narrow cave in the wall. They climbed through, shuffling through the tight space until the squeezed through to the other side.

The tunnel emptied into a large cavern with a tall slope heading towards the top. Situated at the top of the slope was a gold door. Vergil looked around but saw nothing ready to attack them.

"Man, I'm tired of climbing," Dante said.

Vergil hardly heard his brother's voice as he stared towards the top of the slope.

"He placed himself on top of purgatory, in heaven. They're up there. I know it," Vergil said and rushed forward.

He gripped the slope that was just inclined enough he needed to use his hands and knees to climb. Hand over hand he climbed as his body screamed out in protest. No inch of flesh was undamaged and his aching bones begged him to stop, but with a single minded clarity he continued his ascent.

_I'm here. I made it_, he thought.

Bits of stone slipped from under his feet, but he continued unfazed, unable to take his eyes from the golden door…

And then he was there.

He pulled himself up and glanced behind to see Dante just ending his climb.

"Vergil, you're bleeding," he said.

Vergil didn't look down at his tattered body. He pressed his hands against the door and pushed; it swung open with ease. They stepped inside to darkness.

Vergil blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the dark He limped forward, realizing they were in a hallway. The shadows shrouded any possible end, so he picked up speed, eager to be closer. His eyes scanned the walls and slowly he came to a halt as he realized what was contained within them.

Glass lined the walls, creating a continuous display. Inside, the forms of women were slumped over various dresses covering them. Their arms were pulled up at the elbows and wrists and he realized they were supported on strings. The doll in front of him, dressed in a Victorian gown, inhaled and let out a staggered breath. He quickly took a step back, sending pain through his wounded heel.

"God…" Dante said.

"We need to move faster," Vergil responded and swiftly started down the hall, keeping thoughts of what the demon might have done to Evangeline and Persephone at bay.

He kept his eyes forward as he walked, unwilling to see the living dolls. In front of them, another gold door loomed. Vergil slowed his walked and cautiously pushed it open. He stuck his head through, but saw nothing. Slowly, he eased his way in and the room burst with sudden light.

Yamato was in his hand in a flash, but he saw only a gilded room, decorated gaudily with gold filigree and paintings of angels on the ceiling. Towards the center of the room and slightly off to the side was a raised platform with pillows on top. Resting upon them was an unmoving female form, its face painted white and its hair intricately pinned with a gold fan. She was dressed in robes that spread out and blended with the pillows. He kept his eyes on the woman as he entered, but it made no motion and he relaxed.

"It's just another doll," Vergil said to Dante.

"Yeah, somehow that still doesn't make me feel better. God, this guy needs a new decorator and probably a psychologist. Did you see those things?"

"Unfortunately," Vergil responded.

His brother snorted with disgust and they crossed to the center of the room. Vergil glanced at the doll, posed perfectly on top of a red cushion. She reminded him of one of the Japanese dolls his mother had received as a present. It breathed occasionally, but otherwise remained dead.

"Which door do you think?" Dante asked.

Vergil turned towards his brother. "Their probably in some sort of holding cell."

"I suppose that door looks as good as any," Dante said.

Vergil started towards the door Dante had pointed to.

############

Evangeline had heard them first: their footsteps echoing in the hallway. The room suddenly filled with light and she wanted to blink, but couldn't. Then the sweetest sound to her ears.

"It's just another doll."

_No, no I'm not!_ she wanted to cry out.

Vergil walked closer until he was in view. She felt her heart surge.

_I'm right here, Vergil. You actually found me. _

Vergil was a mess. His clothes were in tattered ruins and stained with blood and other dark liquids. The normally immaculate hair had fallen into a mess around his face and plastered to his head with sweat and clotted blood. She saw the wounds on his chest and arms, deep gashes, and realized he was walking with a limp.

Vergil glanced up at her but turned towards Dante.

"I suppose that door looks as good as any."

He began to walk away, turning his back to her.

_Oh, God no! Vergil, I'm right here. Please don't leave me…_

############_  
_

Vergil took one more pitying look at the doll as he started to walk away, glancing into the eyes that held no recognition. Then he stopped dead. He knew those eyes: green irises floating in a sea of inky brown.

"Evangeline," he breathed as he jumped onto the platform. "Dante, help me!"

Vergil turned her head towards him and ran his hand over her face, smearing the black makeup around her eyes into the white. Her eyes stared passed him, unmoving. He gently passed her to Dante's open arms and he laid her on the floor. Vergil scrambled to her side and cradled her in his arms. He shook her motionless body, but had no response.

"Evangeline! Can you hear me?"

No reaction.

"What did he do to her?" Dante asked, his voice tinged with panic.

"Come on, love. Do something," Vergil said, gathering her limp arms towards her.

He pressed his fingers to her throat, feeling only a weak flutter. Vergil tore away a layer of robe, his hand probing her chest for her heart. Then his fingers landed on something metal and smooth. He opened the robe and saw a metal plate lodged between her breasts. He felt around it, searching for any latch or attachment when he realized it was fused to her skin.

Vergil smoothed down Evangeline's hair and stared her in her expressionless eyes.

"This is going to hurt. Just take a deep breath," he said and hitched his fingers under the metal plate and pulled.

The plate resisted for a moment before it finally began giving way. Evangeline's body began twitching uncontrollably and a gurgled scream erupted from her throat. Dante held her legs as the spasms grew worse, until a sickly tearing sound marked the removal of the plate.

Evangeline's eyes rolled into the back of her head then slowly focused on the ceiling above her. She shot up from her position and wrapped her arms around Vergil, trembling.

"I didn't think you would come," she stammered.

"I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner," he said.

She began tearing the ornaments from her hair and scrambling to her feet. Her panic reaching a pitch as she realized he would return at any moment. Her body moved stiffly, no longer use to her brain controlling it.

"We need to get Persephone," she said and ran towards the golden door, stumbling over her robes.

Vergil darted after her. "Where's the Puppet Maker?"

She tore her arm away. "It doesn't matter. We need to get out of here."

Evangeline took off in a clumsy, headlong run, Vergil fast on her heels. She slammed through the door and bolted down the hallway of pink marble, skidding to a halt in front of door painted pink. With her shoulder, she pushed it open and tumbled inside. Her face was frantic, her eyes as wild as her hair.

In the room, a pair of dolls had Persephone propped on a plush pillow. They dangled a silver rattle in front of her face. Persephone let out a shriek as she heard the commotion caused by her mother. The dolls looked up in what would have been shock if their faces were not painted in place.

"Back away!" Evangeline shouted and stormed towards them.

They slowly moved away, tilting their heads with curiosity. Evangeline knelt down and scooped Persephone into her arms, cradling her crying baby in her chest. Persephone's face was red from the effort of screaming and her arms flailed with anger.

"It's okay, baby. Mama's got you. Don't worry," she cooed.

Persephone slowly calmed down until only a weak hiccup remained. Vergil walked over to Evangeline and looked at Persephone who appeared unharmed. He leaned over and kissed his child's forehead. His insides felt like liquid as it dawned on him that they were both alive. Silently, he thanked what ever power there may be.

"Did he do anything to her?" he asked.

Evangeline shook her head, feeling weak with relief.

"No. He didn't. But we need to go, now," she said as she spun towards the door.

Clutching Persephone, she ran down the hallway as Dante and Vergil chased after her. She passed through the door and into the large grand room.

"He has a way out…" Evangeline said before stopping dead in her tracks.

The Puppet Maker stood in the center of the room, any human visage completely removed. His mouth was split open nearly to his ears, revealing long rows of teeth that stretched into a fierce and permanent grin. His eyes were black, his nose only a gaping hole. As she entered, his wings flared, reaching towards the ceiling as if preparing to fly.

Upon seeing him, Vergil quickly put himself between the demon and Evangeline, Dante joining him at his side.

"My dear, I never expected this kind of betrayal. Taking my daughter from me. I thought you would kill yourself first," the Puppet Maker said with mock hurt.

"She's my daughter, and you will do well to stay away from them," Vergil said, gently pushing the two back.

"You two, the sons of Sparda. I knew your father quite well. He's part of the reason I'm in this place, but no matter. I have done quite well for myself, and soon, I shall be ruling Hell."

"I don't know if you know how this usually goes. You claim ultimate power and we make you eat your words. Face it, history is our side," Dante sneered.

The Puppet Maker ruffled his feathers. "Yes, well I prepared for things like that. Did you enjoy my little dollhouse of Hell? It must have been exhausting. I expected it to kill most things, but it served its purpose. You are tired, wounded, and weak, and I have an entire army that never sleeps," he said and spread his clawed hands wide.

From the side door, burst a row of metal demons. They marched in a straight line, standing between Vergil and the Puppet Maker, weapons at the ready. Ten of them in all, but Vergil saw another row in the hallway.

"I have hundreds of them just waiting. And since you so rudely broke into my home, stole my child, and attempted to run away from me, I'll just have them kill you all," he said.

Vergil heard Evangeline's sharp intake of breath. His body ached and even with the sudden surge of adrenaline, he still felt the heavy weight of fatigue. There were too many of them, and not enough of him to fight them and shield Evangeline and Persephone.

"Wait. How about a gentleman's wager? For your honor," Vergil said.

The Puppet Maker narrowed his black eyes. "Go on."

"I'll fight you and they stay out of it," Vergil said with his voice low.

"Are you nuts? You can barely walk," Dante hissed.

Vergil snapped his head towards his brother. "I'm not having them die out of recklessness. Besides, history is on our side, remember?"

The Puppet Maker lowered his wings. "Any weapon?"

"Any weapon."

"Then we have an accord," the Puppet Maker said.

He gestured to the metal demons and they started forward together.

"I said I would fight you!" Vergil shouted, drawing Yamato.

The Puppet Maker grinned. "This is my weapon."

* * *

**_Let me know what you think! Peace._**


	12. Chapter 12: A Final Battle

_**I do not own Devil May Cry or any of the characters, stories, locations, plots, etc. thereof.  
**_

_**Sorry I took so long to update! Job hunting and wedding planning really takes up time. **_

_**RR. Let me know what you think. The next chapter will be coming soon!**_

_**Enjoy!  
**_

* * *

There is a moment in the lives of most people when doubt sets in. A moment when one wonders exactly how they managed to drag themselves into a situation and feel the panicked understanding that they may not come out of it. Vergil rarely experienced those moments, but when he did, it was substantial. Staring down the metal soldiers, he had one of those moments. A thought passed through his mind, _you are going to die_.

With a loud clang of metal, they stepped forward in a uniform line. Each held in front of them a spear or sword ready to bear down upon him. Their faces were only metal helmets with twisted horns protruding from them. Vergil drew Yamato, the hilt slick in his sweaty palm. Evangeline gasped and clutched Persephone closer, feeling her squirm against her chest.

"You son of a bitch," Dante growled and drew his sword.

The Puppet Maker pointed a single clawed finger at Dante, halting him.

"It was a deal. If you raise a finger to help him, I will send all of them after her and the child and I doubt you can stop them all before they spill their blood," he said.

Vergil glanced at Dante.

"Stay with them. If anything happens to me, run."

Dante glared at the Puppet Maker, ready to leap at him, and slowly edged back towards Evangeline. He put an arm around her and placed himself between her and the demons. The Puppet Maker smiled and spread his hands. The metal demons took another step and lowered the point of their weapons towards Vergil.

Vergil glanced back at Evangeline's terrified face and rushed to meet the demons.

"Do something," Evangeline hissed at Dante.

"I can't. I'm not going to risk you," Dante said.

Evangeline turned her entire body away, shielding Persephone who squirmed in her arms. The ring of metal sounded in her ears and she shut her eyes. _He's going to die, _she thought and squeezed her eyelids tighter.

Black hollows of eyes stared at Vergil as he threw himself towards the metal fiends. He lowered his gaze to the middle demon, training his eyes on the narrow gap between the metal plates of its chest. It lowered its spear and jabbed forward. Vergil leapt easily over it, spearing through the metal plates as he soared over the demon's shoulder. His brief feeling of elation quickly evaporated as the broad side of a sword slapped him backward into the defeated demon.

Air rushed out of his lungs and he looked up in time to see a metal pike heading towards his face. He dodged to the side just as the pike entered the back of the defeated demon. The demon struggled to free his weapon as Vergil rolled to his feet and brought Yamato down upon its neck with both hands. His hands ached with the reverberation of Yamato's metal blade on the metal plates of the demon's neck. The blade sliced cleanly through half the demon's neck until it snagged. With a grunt he tore it free and turned his body slightly as another demon attacked him from behind, thrusting its large sword into its companion's torso and finishing the job Vergil had started.

Vergil pivoted and slammed his elbow into the demon's face sending a shock of pain up his arm and the demon stumbling backward. His rage grew with every agonizing throb of his splintered elbow. A roar burst forth from his throat and with a surge of strength, he punctured the stumbling demon's chest with the point of his sword. As its heart shattered, the demon slumped forward.

Heavy steps echoed through the cavern and Vergil knew another wave approached him. He turned towards the Puppet Maker whose black eyes were narrowed in a malicious glint as he hovered several feet above the melee. He smiled and Vergil's lip curled in a snarl. The Puppet Maker seemed pathetic lording over him, unwilling to fight his own battles. Vergil knew he was stronger and that he would fall into a bloody heap at his feet.

Pain exploded through his wounded arm as he lifted Yamato. Vergil darted forward, kicking off the unmoving husk of a fallen enemy, and bringing his sword to bear on the Puppet Maker. He saw the slight widening of his eyes as the blade came closer; Vergil could practically taste the stab of fear in the Puppet Maker's black heart.

Just inches away, Vergil felt something heavy slam into his legs and he turned head over heels through the air. For a moment he felt nothing in his legs then a ringing of pain echoed through his bones. He landed hard on his back, skidding a few inches further. He tried to bend his legs that remained unmoving in protest. His entire consciousness seemed to be moving in sludge, and he was unsure of where his body was or the demons. All the energy seemed to have left him and he was like a rock. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Quickly, he looked around for the demon he knew would attack him.

"Vergil!"

He heard Evangeline's voice pierce the fog and the metal hammer bearing down on him seemed to materialize from oblivion. Without time to react, he crossed his arms above his chest and braced himself. The hammer slammed into his forearms and he felt his nerves go dead. Yamato clattered to the ground next to him as his hands lost all function. A breath escaped him and he waited for the pain that shot through him as his nerves reawakened.

The demon pressed down harder before lifting the hammer again for a strike. It raised the heavy weapon above its horned head and swiftly brought it down. Vergil rolled away as the hammer landed next him, shattering the marble floor. He raised himself to his elbows, unable to move his hands. With what felt like the last of his life's energy, he rose to his feet. Another demon, wielding an axe, stomped towards him, the metal glinting in the light.

Gravity was almost too hard to resist. He heard the hammer being lifted behind him and saw the axe being raised, his hands held useless in front of him. Closing his eyes, he waited for the strike.

"Dante, let me go! Vergil!"

Evangeline shouted at him. _She's panicking. Her voice is always so shrill when she's like that. Maybe she knows I am going to die. I'm so sorry. _

A sudden piercing cry. The terrified sound of a child.

Vergil opened his eyes and rolled, the axe grazing his cheek, drawing blood. The axe went through the head of the hammer-wielding demon as the hammer smashed into the torso of the demon with the axe.

Swiftly, he reached for Yamato, painfully bending his fingers around the hilt.

"More demons!" the Puppet Maker screamed, flapping his wings.

Vergil felt the surge, the familiar rage of the demon welling up inside of him. He let himself slip into it, feeling the soothing warmth of power.

_You're not getting my family this time_.

The pain disappeared as the demon form enveloped him. Three metal demons approached from the hallway, another four shortly behind them. Yamato crackled with power and he charged towards them. He saw only a blur of metal and steel as his sword passed easily through the group of three in one stroke. He turned his eyes to the four behind the fallen demons.

They swung their weapons towards him, unaware of each other or his movements. Merely automatons swinging at will. He kicked off one of the hulks of dead metal and brought Yamato's point through the head of a demon and into its heart. Leaping off, he swung once, removing the head of another.

"All of you at once!" the Puppet Maker screamed wildly pointing at Vergil.

The demon's seemed to pick up their pace as they poured into the room. Instead of heading directly for him, they circled around, blocking him in every direction. His inner demon smiled at the challenge and instinct took over.

He seemed to dance around them, easily dispatching the inner ring. Several weapons grazed him, but never left a wound. In their own clumsiness they took out each other as well. Above him, all he saw were horns as horned feet stomped around him. The new inner circle of demons was only inches away, barely able to move with their mass. He stabbed through the torso of one, exposing his flank and that is when he saw him.

The Dandy Man appeared crouched in his suit, relaxed between the stomping feet. He smiled his shark smile and swiftly jabbed a glittering dagger into Vergil's side before disappearing. Vergil halted as the blade jammed itself between his lower ribs. One demon took the moment of hesitation to its advantage and swung its hammer towards Vergil's head. The blow made him dizzy and he fell to one knee, clutching his side as his devil trigger faded and he was exposed.

Blood gushed from between his fingers and he pulled the knife from his side. The hammer came down upon his back and he was floored. He looked up the clamoring demons vaguely aware that he was spared more injuries from their inability to organize. They wriggled next to one another but were unable to lift an arm to wound him except for one with a very large mace. The blunt object slammed into his chest and he felt ribs snap and his vision go black. He was vaguely aware of someone yelling his name but could hardly hear it over the blood pounding in his ears or the screeching of metal.

Suddenly, the demons stopped and slowly backed away. Vergil coughed, tasting blood well up from his lungs. Wings fluttered as sandaled feet landed quietly next to his head. A laugh reverberated painfully through his ears.

"So you've lost, Son of Sparda. They're mine now," The Puppet Maker said. He leveled a golden sword under Vergil's chin.

Vergil turned his head slightly and saw a pair of leather clad legs between the hooves of the demons. Trish's horrified face was visible through a gap. Vergil laughed, pain wracking his body.

"Why are you laughing?" the Puppet Maker hissed.

"Because you've lost," Vergil murmured.

"You're defeated, nearly dead. How have I lost?"

"Because Mundus knows you're here and is on his way now. I don't think he is going to take your armies lightly," Vergil said.

The Puppet Maker's face fell and jaw dropped.

"He'll be here soon. I suggest you get ready," Trish called.

The Puppet Maker looked around, panic permeating his every move. Frantically, his eyes searched, unsure of what to do.

"It's too soon. All of you go outside! Dandy, where are you?" he cried.

Vergil was forgotten as the Puppet Maker quickly ran out the doors, his demon horde following slowly after. Vergil sighed, an action he quickly regretted. He closed his eyes for a moment then looked up to worried faces.

Evangeline clutched Persephone with one arm and smoothed back Vergil's hair with her free hand. Her makeup was a smeared mess from her tears and her lip quivered as she was barely able to contain herself.

"Vergil, oh my god," she said. She pressed her hand against his bleeding side. Vergil slowly lifted his hand and gently stroked Persephone's white hair. He lowered his hand and clutched Evangeline's which was smeared with his blood.

"Verg, can you move?" Dante asked, his eyes wide with worry.

"Tear off pieces of my robe and wrap his wounds," Evangeline said. Dante grabbed the hem of her robe and tore off long strips of red and began dressing Vergil's injuries, starting with the gash in his side.

"I just need a moment," Vergil groaned. Everything hurt and he found it difficult to focus on one feeling.

"Drink this," Trish said, pressing a bottle to his lips. "It will help a little."

The bitter liquid seared his tongue, but his body began to feel lighter and the pain lessened enough that he could inhale easier.

"Vergil, we don't have a moment so we need to get going," Trish said. "I don't know how far behind me they were, but I don't think it was long before Mundus got the message."

"Why are we moving him? What's going on? Who's Mundus?" Evangeline demanded. She shook with anger at the prospect of moving him so soon.

Dante pressed his hand on her shoulder.

"Mundus is a very bad demon who doesn't like us. If we don't move now, there will be hell to pay."

The liquid worked quickly and Vergil was able to raise himself off the ground. Dante placed an arm around his waist for support and Vergil was able to walk forward.

"Where do go?" Trish asked.

"He has to have some way to get demons out of here. We can't go through the inferno again," Dante said.

"The demon's came from his workshop. There's another door there," Evangeline said. Persephone wailed and she gently rocked her. For a moment, she was struck by how useless the comfort really was. A demon was bearing down upon them and she was helpless. She watched Vergil and Dante make their way towards the hallway and the pit in her stomach grew into a black hole. She looked down into her daughter's blue eyes and the tears started anew.

"I got you baby," she said and held her closer, following after them.

A sense of urgency hit the group and they began moving faster. Vergil's limp slowly disappeared and he was able to hobble quicker without Dante. They reached the end of the hallway and entered the workshop. Scattered around the room were various tools, metal parts, and unfinished demons. Several dolls were slumped over tables and sprawled across the floor, no longer needed to do their jobs.

Vergil scanned the room, spotting a non-descript door hidden slightly behind a pillar. His protesting body ached as he limped his way to the door. He looked behind him, spotting Evangeline's terrified face. He paused and motioned for her.

"I'm going to get you out of here," he said, cupping her cheek. "We did it once. We'll do it again."

"I'm not worried about myself. She's just so helpless," Evangeline said with her voice low. She cradled Persephone, the child calm despite the worry of her parents.

"Guys, not a lot of time," Trish said, clear annoyance edging into her voice.

Dante held the door open that led into small chamber. On the floor was a large, glowing red circle. Evangeline and Vergil stepped on, and with a groan the platform began to drop. Trish and Dante scrambled quickly onto the descending floor.

The platform nearly plummeted towards the ground, and Evangeline clutched Vergil's arm with the overwhelming vertigo. Suddenly, it slowed and stopped with a rumble next to the opening of a tunnel.

Evangeline was still clutching Vergil as they made their way through the dark tunnel, Trish leading the group. A dull light appeared, growing brighter as they emerged from the darkness.

Trish halted next to the opening and peered outside. Rows of metal demons stood unmoving, awaiting their master's orders.

"We're on the opposite side, but at least Mundus won't be there. We have to try crossing the bridge above the river and hopefully the guards will be distracted," Trish said.

Dante eyed the cliff stretching up into the sky and into the river of souls.

"We can't climb that, but getting through the demonic souls isn't safe with Evangeline and the baby," Dante said.

Vergil pointed to the red stones lining the top of the entrance into the cliff.

"We'll take those. You saw what they did to the souls," he said.

The group cautiously made their way through the rows of demons, watching carefully for any movement. Vergil looked up towards the Puppet Maker's fort and saw a winged figure soaring over the army of demons. He felt satisfaction from the Puppet Maker's fear of his impending demise.

Dante, using Rebellion, dislodged the red stones from the entrance and handed them to the others. Vergil wrapped his arm around Evangeline and Persephone, holding the red stone in front of them.

They moved swiftly, through the tunnels and when a demonic spirit came close a loud zap would echo through the tunnel and a small orb would replace the spirit. Eventually, the spirits no longer approached but hung back, wary of the red stones.

Following the tunnels leading upward, they searched for any indication of their position but found only darkness. Vergil wondered if they would ever emerge from the caves, though in some ways, he dreaded the prospect of more demons waiting. His body ached and shook with the effort to keep moving. Next to him, Persephone began whimpering and Evangeline quietly shushed her.

"We don't even know if we're going in the right direction," Trish whispered.

"It has to end eventually. We'll figure it out when we get there," Dante snapped.

Silence descended on them occasionally interrupted by the howl of a spirit in the distance that would make Evangeline jump whenever she heard it. Suddenly, the tunnel came to an abrupt halt and emptied out onto a ledge. Vergil stuck his head out and looked around. About twenty feet above them was the river of souls, its inhabitants writhing as they rushed towards an uncertain fate.

"There has to be another tunnel above it," Dante said, turning back the way they came.

Trish grabbed his arm. "I don't remember any other tunnels leading up and we're running out of time."

"What do you expect us to do? Swim?" Dante hissed.

Evangeline watched the two bicker before turning her eyes towards Vergil who only stared at the river. Her head felt light and her eyes began to burn. Slowly, her vision darkened and all she saw were three red lights staring at her like eyes. She braced herself against the wall with her shoulder.

"Something's coming," she said as the sensation faded and she could see again.

"Mundus has to pass through, which means he'll stop the river momentarily. We can climb through then," Vergil said. "Trish, carry Persephone. Evangeline, you'll hold onto Dante."

Vergil thought about plummeting to his death if he was unable to hold onto the rock wall. He would have plenty of time to contemplate it as he fell. He watched Evangeline handed Persephone to Trish before climbing onto Dante's back, wrapping her arms around his neck. They stepped onto the ledge and began to climb.

Every muscle screamed as Vergil slowly scaled the cliff. His elbow still throbbed in pain and he felt it nearly buckle every time he pulled himself up. He stopped just below the river, digging his boots into the rock wall.

"You okay, man?" Dante asked.

Vergil remained silent and adjusted his grip. That was when he felt the chilling power that always marked his presence. It was a cold that seemed to crackle in the air and reach into your body to squeeze your bones.

"He's here," Evangeline said.

She held Dante's neck a little tighter as she strained her neck to peer at the other side of the canyon. She wasn't comforted by the distance and had the eerie feeling he could still see them though they clung like ants to a mountain. Screams erupted as the entire river seemed to pull apart like stretched taffy. When the coast was clear Dante began climbing with Trish and Vergil close behind. Evangeline continued to stare as a sudden flood of demons washed down the other side. Then emerging from the top of the canyon were the three red lights arranged in a triangle. It slowly lowered itself down the side of the canyon, passing directly opposite them.

They emerged above the river and it quickly snapped back together. Evangeline stared at Mundus a while longer then quickly buried her face into Dante's back as her pulse quickened with fear. She knew he had spotted them.

With a grunt, Dante pulled himself over the ledge and Evangeline hopped off his back. Trish was next and Dante reached down to help Vergil with the last foot of climbing. They looked around and spotted the bridge in the eerily empty landscape. Only a few human souls wondered around, lost without their torturers.

Evangeline stood between Vergil and Dante as they ran towards the bridge and crossed the wrought iron pathway. Standing in front of the gate leading to the desolate landscape of hell, were two heavily armed demon's resembling wolves. They spotted the four escapees and growled, lunging towards them.

"Trish, stay," Dante ordered and drew rebellion.

Vergil already had Yamato in hand and together they rushed the demons and crossed in front of each other before plunging their swords into the demons who fell to the ground in two bloody heaps.

"Apparently, Mundus took all the good ones," Dante smirked.

"It's a blessing," Vergil responded, clutching the wound at his side that had torn open again. "Let's go."

They exited the gates with swords drawn and began tracing their steps, walking along the gate towards the right and walking a distance before turning out into the desert in front of them. Evangeline retrieved Persephone from Trish after shedding her heavy robes until just a white slip remained. She walked quickly to be at Vergil's side.

"How is she doing?" he asked.

"She's fine. He took good care of her. How are you?" she asked, watching his legs tremble slightly with every step.

"It will heal," he said.

"I never thought I would see you again. I thought I was going to die," Evangeline said and the tears began to flow anew.

Vergil placed his arm around her shoulder as they continued to walk, feeling her shoulders shake even as her feet continued moving. He wanted to lie down with her and feel that she was safe.

"I was lost without you," he said. Evangeline's surprise halted her tears. "I'm nothing without you. So I swear to you, that I will always find you no matter what. Wherever you go, I'll always find my way there."

"I can't lose you," she murmured.

"I'm hard to kill," he said.

Evangeline managed a weak laugh and nod though her stomach twisted at the idea. They fell into silence as they made their way through the blasted landscape watched over by a brown sky.

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Vergil's body begged to rest and for food but he knew they were nearly to the portal; he could feel it humming in his bones. They traveled in relative silence, unsure of what to say in that place, as if speaking of it would bring it back or summon their enemies to them. They had only paused briefly for Evangeline to feed Persephone who wailed to let her discomfort be known.

"I think it's close," Vergil said to Dante.

"You thi…"

The ground began to tremble and the sound of hundreds of roar echoed through the landscape. Vergil whirled around and saw dust rising in the distance and a wave of demons running towards them about a mile away. He could practically feel the scream for Sparda's blood.

"Run," he growled and they took off towards the portal, the hounds of hell literally at their heels.

Vergil kept his eyes on Evangeline who clutched a screaming Persephone to her chest. She was terrified, her eyes nearly bursting from her sockets. Vergil grabbed her arm and pulled her along as Trish took the lead.

He felt the demons approaching and quickly looked behind him and saw they were approaching. He knew they were faster. He knew they would catch them. Vergil stopped and pushed Evangeline towards Dante.

"Vergil, what are you doing?" Evangeline shouted. Dante halted and ran towards her side.

"Vergil, come on!" he said.

"They need to be stop or they're going to reach us. Take Evangeline and go," Vergil said and drew Yamato.

Dante gaped at Vergil with disbelief, torn between his brother's logic and his emotional inability to let go. Trish snatched Persephone from Evangeline who grabbed Vergil's arms and was pulling on him to follow, and started running towards the portal with the crying child.

"Vergil, don't do this," Evangeline cried, unable to move him.

He grabbed her chin and kissed her quickly.

"I told you I will always find you. If I have to fight God himself to find you in heaven, I will," he said.

Vergil looked at Dante who snapped from his stupor with a grave look in his eyes. Dante grabbed Evangeline around the waist and flipped her over his shoulder and ran. Evangeline pounded on his back with her fists and kicked her legs wildly.

"Dante, let me go! I'll kill you. Please don't leave him behind," she screamed as she began to cry.

Vergil watched their fleeing forms for a moment before turning towards the demon horde and drawing his sword. The bitter taste of sorrow filled his mouth and he clutched Yamato tighter. He had that moment again, the moment you know you are going to die.

_They won't take my family. I won't fail this time._

The demons came closer and he charged.

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By the time Dante had passed through the portal, Evangeline had stopped screaming and grew quiet. Trish was waiting on the other side as Lady attended to the screaming baby and Nero waited for an oncoming threat.

Gathering all his will, Dante reached into the portal and felt the tingle of the amulet. He grabbed it, and pulled it from the stone, closing the gate. He set Evangeline on the ground and looked at her. Her face was a mess of smeared makeup; her red hair was wild around her face. She didn't cry, but just stared at Dante with a cold, emotionless expression that reminded him of Vergil. His own pain he hid carefully, though his heart was torn to shreds. He looked away, unable to stand the blame in her stare.

"Where's Vergil?" Nero asked.

There was silence.

"He's not coming back," Dante said and began walking towards Nero's home.

Lady walked over to Evangeline and knelt next her, gently taking her elbow with her free hand.

"Come on, Evangeline," she said quietly, trying to comfort.

Evangeline tore her arm away.

"No, let me go," she said.

"Persephone needs you," Trish answered softly.

"I not leaving," Evangeline snapped.

Lady nodded and stood up, following after Dante with Persephone. Trish stayed in her spot, watching Evangeline. She took a seat on a large piece of rubble several feet away and stood guard, unsure of what she would do.

Evangeline just stared at the ground in front of her, unmoving. She didn't cry; there wasn't any emotion left. There was nothing left without him. She was dead inside.

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_**Please review. Stay tuned for the next chapter. **_


	13. Chapter 13: Vergil's Aftermath

**I do not own Devil May Cry or any of the characters, stories, locations, plots, etc. thereof. **

**Might be my quickest update yet. I know you're reading, so please review. Your responses validate me ^_^**

**Enjoy. RR_  
_**

* * *

The tiny orange disks next to the knife began to blur. Evangeline set the blade down and breathed in deeply then slowly released, expelling the air until her heartbeat slowed. Her hand shook as she picked up the knife again. She curled her fingers near the edge of the carrot and resumed cutting, feeling the smooth metal briefly touch her fingers. She wondered how it would feel to have it slice into her flesh. Would it feel different if she did it?

A giggle and the sound of a toy rattling snapped Evangeline from her thoughts. She scooped the carrot disks onto the knife and dropped them into the boiling water next to her. A droplet of hot water landed on her thumb and she hissed, shaking her hand to rid it of the pain.

She watched the boiling water, listening the gurgling of many bubbles. It was when she was alone and facing the mundane activities of everyday that she felt it. It would suddenly slam into her, knocking her spirit around in a wave of grief. Her jaw would clench and her shoulders would become tense as she struggled to stay above the water. With another deep breath, she leaned against the warm stove and bowed her head.

He came to her like a vision in the steam: solid and stoic. Sometimes she saw him as he was, replaying moments in her head. Other times she remembered her last sight of him, his bloodied face calm as he faced the oncoming horde. It was the moments she saw him dead that brought her to her knees, like she had been punched in the stomach. He was so absent from world. She didn't know where he was or where his soul went. His body was gone; he was gone.

It seemed as if he was never really there. As if the past two years were some drug induced fantasy and she would wake up hung over on a dirty mattress or passed out on someone's floor. But even though he was gone, echoes of him still remained and tortured her by constantly reminding her she wasn't dreaming. He echoed everywhere. In the sound of Dante's foot steps, the solemn look in his eye or the split second when he pushed his hair back. He echoed in Persephone's blue eyes and the tone of her gentle babbles.

The water hissed against the burner as it boiled over, and Evangeline's head snapped up.

"Something's burning," a soft, husky voice said behind her.

"Shit!" Evangeline said and quickly opened the oven. She grabbed the towel off the counter and used it to pull out a pan with chicken, now slightly seared on the bottom. She dropped it next to the over with a clatter.

"Dinner's done," she said wryly.

Trish looked at her and Evangeline raised an eyebrow at the stare.

"What?"

"Are you okay?" Trish asked.

_No._

"I'm fine," Evangeline replied.

"We can trade places if you want a somewhere to call your own," Trish said, crossing her arms.

"I already told you. It was very sweet for you to move out. It's good for Persephone to be around family and it's safer even if Lady and Dante are a little loud. So, once again, thank you for giving me your room," Evangeline said as she scooped the slightly burnt chicken onto a plate.

"It's not healthy."

"It's baked chicken. What's unhealthy about it?" Evangeline said.

"You know what I mean. Lady doesn't like it," Trish said before grabbing the pile of plates and silverware and walking out the door.

Evangeline poured out the carrots and slammed the pan down onto the stove before gathering the plate of chicken and following after Trish. Her eyes landed on the blonde carefully setting the plates out on the coffee table in front of the couch. Dante had already sat down with Persephone perched in the crook of his arm. Evangeline quickly reigned in her anger and smiled as Lady started walking down the stairs.

Lady paused on the stairs as she saw Evangeline. Her eyes narrowed slightly but she quickly turned her head away and walked to the table. Evangeline set the food on their makeshift dinner table and two pairs of ice blue eyes stared at her.

Echo.

"Give her here," Evangeline said to Dante. He handed Persephone to her and she gently cradled her daughter, smoothing down her white hair that had begun to curl.

"You going to be good while mommy eats?" she said. Persephone gurgled in response.

"This is good," Dante mumbled, already biting into a piece of chicken.

"Use a plate," Lady snapped.

"What?"

She sighed. "Evangeline, I went ahead and took that offer on the house. Apparently, they liked the new front door well enough to overlook the holes in the walls and floors."

Evangeline took a bite of her carrots with her free hand and bounced Persephone with the other.

"Thanks for doing that and thanks for moving into Dante's room. Persephone has a little too much for us to share," Evangeline replied.

"Yeah, well. With so many extra people it would be nice if some money came in," Lady said without looking up from her food. Trish set down her fork and glanced knowingly at Evangeline.

"Lady," Dante said around a mouth full of chicken. "She can stay here as long as she wants. She's family."

"Why are you always on her side? It's been well over a month since…."

Evangeline forced a smile and interrupted before the words could slip from Lady's lips. "You know that would be nice, which is why I have a job interview in a few days."

They returned to eating their food, but the air seemed to crackle with tension. Trish had set down her plate and tossed her eyes between the two angry females, and an unfazed Dante.

"Dante," Trish said slowly. "Are you coming with us on the job?"

Dante shook his head. "Naw, it's safer if I stay with them tonight."

Lady slammed her dish on the table, rattling the other plates.

"What's your problem?" Dante asked.

Persephone began to cry with the sudden noise, and Evangeline stood up to begin rocking her.

"You don't go on jobs with us," Lady shouted. "I hardly spend time with you. You'd rather just stay here. That's my problem!"

Dante shot out of his seat, his eyes wide with anger and disbelief. "And what do you expect me to do? I need to protect them."

Lady fell silent.

"It's been months. No one is coming after them or coming back," she said suddenly and stormed up the stairs.

Sitting down again, Dante sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. Trish began gathering the dirty plates from the table. She stopped next to Evangeline on the way to the kitchen.

"He's not a replacement," she whispered.

"You don't think I know that?" Evangeline snapped.

##########################

Mirrors aren't safe after losing a twin. With every reflection you jump with their miraculous revival only to have them die again when you realize it's just your face. Dante felt like he was young again, reliving his brother's death; his white hair and blue eyes serving as a constant reminder of their shared blood. He couldn't remember how he pulled himself out of it the first time, and this time, he had his brother's affairs to care for.

Whenever he saw Evangeline, he thought of his mother. The wistful look in her eyes, the sagging of shoulders heavy with the burden of having to raise a child was hell sent him back to his childhood. Vergil had always wanted to be like their father, and it seemed he had received his wish.

Dante didn't want to be a surrogate father; he couldn't discipline a child when he couldn't even control himself. He didn't want to be the shoulder Evangeline leaned upon because she would always find him wanting and would always be searching for Vergil. He had possessed her body and soul.

Dante passed by the small, dirty mirror next to the makeup display and jumped. He exhaled slowly and his face returned to him. He rubbed the back of his neck and grabbed an eyeliner pencil. Evangeline was further down the aisle with, staring intently at shelves of diapers as Persephone sat in her carrier on top of the cart. She raised an eyebrow as he tossed the pencil into the cart.

"Dante, I never knew," she said.

"Oh, haha. It's for Lady. She's mad at me, so I thought I'd do something nice," Dante replied.

"Yes, because makeup will make it all better. It's the way to a woman's heart," Evangeline said as she tossed a package of diapers into the cart.

"I try," he said with a sigh.

"You didn't have to come grocery shopping," she replied, pushing the cart down the aisle.

"Well, I needed out of the shop."

Evangeline glanced at him, with obvious disbelief.

"Okay, it makes me nervous when you guys are by yourself,' he said.

"You know Lady was right last night," Evangeline said and tossed a can of beans into the cart. "No one is coming after us."

"I still need to take care of you," he replied, wishing the conversation would end.

Evangeline stopped in tracks and looked into Dante's blue eyes.

"You're not responsible for us," she said.

_I have to_, he thought.

"Yeah, well…"

"Oh, what a cute baby!"

The high pitched voice sounded behind them. They turned and saw a short, older woman with messy brown hair.

"Well, thank you," Evangeline said.

The woman peered closer, smiling widely at Persephone.

"How old is she?"

"Three months."

The woman waggled her fingers at the baby.

"I've never seen hair like that before. She looks just like her daddy," the woman said, tentatively touching Dante's arm. Dante felt a slightly sick and his jaw dropped as he tried to find the words.

"Oh, I'm not her father," he stammered eventually.

The woman's eyes narrowed suspiciously and the judgment showed clear in her glare.

"He's her uncle," Evangeline said firmly.

The woman stiffened and stared down her nose. "Oh, well. They just looked so much alike, so I assumed…"

"You're right; you did assume. And if you would like to assume some more, my husband recently died. Do you have anything more to say?" Evangeline snapped.

The woman gaped for a moment before muttering an apology and running down the aisle. Evangeline rubbed her temples as Dante tried to dissect the event. Evangeline straightened headed towards the checkout with a babbling Persephone.

"Don't you think that was a little harsh?" Dante said as he caught up to her.

"No, it wasn't," she growled. "You're not her father and you never will be."

Dante heard the tears in her voice and put a hand on her shoulder.

########################

"So, Mrs. Sparda? Am I pronouncing that correctly?"

"Yes."

"It's very strange name," the well-dressed woman said, adjusting her glasses. She was min-thirties, with an angular face and pulled back brown hair.

"Well, I didn't marry him for his name," Evangeline replied, shifting uncomfortably in a suit that was slightly too big for her as it was tailored made for Trish. What Trish needed a business suit for was beyond her, and she only received a devious smile when she had asked.

"I see you've been out of work for a while."

_I was in hell for a while_.

"I decided to stay home for my daughter, but I'm hoping to get back into the workforce," Evangeline said with a smile.

"Being an assistant in the college's library is a very stressful job."

_I need a cigarette._

"I can handle stress."

"Students can be difficult and demanding."

_Demons are difficult and demanding_.

"I feel confident in my ability to handle it."

"Especially with your education in English, I think you are well qualified for the position."

_Bitch, just give me the job. _

Evangeline smiled.

"You can start next week," the woman said with a smile, holding out her hand. Evangeline took it with a firm shake.

"Thank you, so much," she said and walked out the door.

Evangeline heard the yelling well before she walked into the doors of Devil May Cry. She could tell Lady was screaming about something, and she had a suspicion it was probably Dante. She felt a twinge of anger when she realized Persephone was probably crying because of it.

She stepped inside cautiously, keeping an eye out for any flying object or bullets. The parlor was empty, but she could hear screams from upstairs. Just then, Lady stormed down the stairs with a large duffel bag, her face contorted in rage. She saw Evangeline and scoffed.

"Oh, look. She's back and all for you. Just what you wanted, right DANTE!" Lady yelled upstairs.

Dante appeared at the top. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Your brother's gone, now you can have her. One big, happy fucking family," she spat and stomped past Evangeline, slamming the door behind her.

"Bitch!" Dante shouted after.

Evangeline heard Persephone wailing upstairs.

"I'm sorry," Dante called down and rushed back upstairs.

Evangeline chased after him and into the room they had made for Persephone. She lay in her crib, shaking with her cries. Dante leaned over and scooped her into his arms, making gentle shushes to soothe her. Evangeline stopped cold when he looked at her.

_I wish you didn't look at me,_ she thought as the familiar face stared at her.

"I'm really sorry," he said. Evangeline could barely hear him over the echoes. She subtly pinched her arm and the pain made her present.

"What was that about?" Evangeline said, taking Persephone from him. The baby hiccupped slightly from her crying, and Evangeline smiled at her blotchy red face.

"Like it wasn't obvious," he snorted.

"I guess it was," Evangeline replied with a shrug.

"You know, I'm not trying to replace him. I'm not trying anything," he said.

Evangeline looked up, but when all she saw was Vergil, she looked away.

"I know you aren't. I miss him too and being with you brings him closer. Persephone needs her family," Evangeline said, holding back tears and the urge to grab him.

"You know, I thought you would disappear after all those days sitting outside the portal. I'm glad you stayed," he said with a smile.

Evangeline set Persephone down in the crib when she began to rub her eyes. Persephone squirmed for a moment before drifting into sleep.

"I got the job."

"Kind of a change of subject."

"Yeah, well I don't want to admit that I thought about leaving…then I realized I had nowhere else to go," Evangeline said quickly and left

Evangeline took off her suit and sat on the bed for a long time. Eventually, she heard Dante pause at her door before continuing to the shower. When running water became audible, she released and the wracking sobs escaped her. Tears streamed down her cheeks faster than she could brush them away. She desperately tried to grab a hold of herself, but was overwhelmed by the wave until she was lost in it, unsure of whether she could find the surface.

It was like drowning. First panic then slow acceptance until your lungs filled with water and everything was at peace. She let herself drown until she couldn't feel the pain any longer. Every emotion purged itself with her tears until there was nothing left but the empty husk. She didn't want to die; she simply wanted to no longer exist.

A knock on the door.

"Evangeline."

_Oh, please don't come in_, she thought as a new wave of pain swept over her, and she was drowning again.

She heard the creak of the door and the sound of bare feet on the floor. Curling herself into a ball, she hugged her legs, refusing to look up. Dante's warm hands were on her shoulders, and finally she looked at him.

Dante's hair was wet and plastered to his head. He was dressed in a simple black shirt and loose pants that served as his pajamas. His face was stern and his eyes concerned, so she couldn't tell whether it was him or twin.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

His voice was lighter, more fluid. He wasn't Vergil.

Dante sat next her and wrapped his arm around her. She turned towards him, feeling the heat radiate of his chest. With both hands, she pushed his wet hair. For a moment she thought he would stop her. But after tensing, he allowed her to. She brought herself closer, and pressed her trembling lips against his.

She felt the pressure as he momentarily kissed back, but then his hand was on her wrist and he pulled away.

"I'm not him," he said softly.

"Just pretend," she pleaded and tried again.

Dante turned his head away.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't want this. I've wanted you since I first saw you, and I've been jealous ever since," he gently detangled her arms from his neck. "I know we could let this happen. But I also know that you love him and only him, and right now, you are grieving. It's sucks to have the same face, but I can't be him."

Evangeline's shoulders shook and she buried her face in her hands as the tears started anew. Dante wrapped his arm around her and kissed her hair.

"We'll get through this. Would you like me to lie here with you tonight?" he asked.

Evangeline nodded and he lay down with her buried in his shoulder. The echoes were gone, and Vergil went with them. Dante held her, feeling the part of him which contained Vergil whither away.

###################

When Evangeline woke up, she found she was alone in the bed. Her face felt puffy and grimy from crying. Rubbing her eyes, she looked around for her robe and quickly wrapped herself in it. She hurried to Persephone's room to find the crib empty, and heading downstairs.

Persephone was in her bouncing seat next to the couch. Dante emerged from the kitchen wielding a mug of coffee and a pile of deformed pancakes. He smiled a shrugged.

"I thought you would be hungry," he said.

"In a little bit," she said and walked into the kitchen. Tucked behind the spices was a box of cigarettes and a lighter. She grabbed them quickly and stuffed them into her robe pocket. In the parlor, Dante was leaned over Persephone, contorting his face for her amusement. Evangeline smiled and quickly dashed over to wrap her arms around him.

"I though we talked about this last night," he said, tensing up.

Evangeline released him.

"Thank you, Dante," she said. "We're lucky to have you. And I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well," he said, flexing. "I'm hot, irresistible. It's to be expected."

Evangeline laughed.

"Besides, Vergil would have done the same for me," he said, sitting down.

"No he wouldn't. He would have slept with me," she replied.

Dante paused and pondered the statement for a moment. "Yeah, he probably would have."

"I'm going to step outside for a moment," Evangeline said.

"Gee, I hope you aren't sneaking a cigarette," Dante said loudly, winking.

Evangeline sneered and walked out the door and into the cold air. Her toes quickly went numb from the morning chill as she leaned against the wall and lit the cigarette. The acrid smoke felt soothing on her throat, and she lost herself in the taste of addiction. Closing her eyes, she let the smells of morning mingle with tobacco and the sun slowly warm her face.

As she began to doze, the cigarette was suddenly pulled from her lips and her eyes shot open.

"What the hell…."

She turned to face her cigarette-hating foe and was struck dumb by blue eyes. For a moment, she thought it was Trish or Dante, making a statement. But as her brain whirled around the possibilities it suddenly settled on the simple truth.

"You said you would stop smoking these," Vergil said, and crushed the butt under the heel of a tattered boot.

He was covered in blood and dirt as if it were painted on. His clothes hung from his body in a tattered mess, and she recalled how he had appeared when he had escaped from hell. Though his face seemed thinner, he had a small smirk on his lips as his eyes waited for an answer.

Evangeline opened her mouth and a squeak of disbelief came out. Then she shook her head.

"What took you so long?" she finally asked.

He raised an eyebrow.

"You expect me to believe you thought I was still alive?" he said.

She straightened up, somewhat angry at his distant attitude towards his return.

"I almost slept with your brother," she said.

"If you didn't than you must have realized he would pale in comparison to me," he said.

Evangeline laughed and the wave of grief disappeared to be replaced by tsunami of sheer relief and joy. She clasped her hands over her mouth with disbelief as Vergil swept her into an embrace. He smelled terrible and felt grimy, but she couldn't have felt happier. He was so very real. She pulled his face towards her and kissed him again and again, tasting blood and mud and various other substances she didn't want to name, but he kissed her back, slaying any doubts in her mind.

Vergil grabbed her hand and led her into the building. Dante was shoveling the pancakes into his mouth and reading a magazine.

"Shouldn't you be watching your kid?" he asked and looked up, the mouthful of pancake tumbling out.

He shot out of his seat, and looked around as if reconfirming reality. He looked back to Vergil and his eyes grew wide.

"Verg, you really need to decide if you're going to be dead or alive because this is getting old," he said.

Vergil only smiled and walked over to his brother, patting him on the back.

"I didn't sleep with her if you're worried," Dante said suddenly.

Vergil shook his head. "I wasn't worried."

He leaned down in front of Persephone and soft smile grew on his face.

"Hi, beautiful girl. I'm sorry I didn't get back sooner," he said softly. His heart swelled and his time in hell became a distant memory.

"Vergil," Evangeline said. "What happened?"

Vergil stood up.

"I need to take a shower and eat," he proclaimed and walked up the stairs.

Dante and Evangeline exchanged looks as Vergil nonchalantly left them.

"I guess I will get him some clothes," Evangeline said and followed after.

######################

Vergil watched the last of the dirty, sudsy water wash away. He had heard Evangeline come in and remain in the bathroom and smiled. He pulled back the curtain and sure enough, Evangeline sat on the toilet with clothes in her arms, staring with her demonic brown eyes. She handed him a towel and he began drying off. She could see he had lost weight, but there were no wounds to speak of.

"Why aren't you acting like this is a big deal? This is a big deal," she said.

"Everything is okay now," he said.

"I thought you were dead," she shrieked.

"And I'm sorry, but it took a while to find a way out."

"How did you escape?" she asked, holding the clothes hostage when he reached for them.

"Give me the clothes," he said. She handed him the jeans and black shirt.

"If you have to know, I waited for them, and then I ran away," he mumbled.

"You ran away?" she said, skeptical.

"Yes. They came. I ran and followed me. I lost them eventually and wondered around until I found a portal to escape," he said.

"You ran away? That's not exactly an epic warrior's tale."

He pulled the shirt over his head and paused.

"I realized I didn't want to die," he said finally.

He opened the door and Dante was leaned over, eavesdropping. Vergil just glanced at him and walked past.

"I'm going to bed," he said, very aware of how tired his body was.

He entered the room and lay down on the bed. It smelled like Evangeline. A few minutes later the door opened and closed and he rolled over. Evangeline placed Persephone on the bed next to him and laid down next her. Persephone kicked as he gently stroked her tiny hand.

"She;s bigger," he said.

"Yeah," Evangeline said, not taking her eyes off of him. "I love you."

"I love you," he said. He leaned over and kissed Persephone's cheek then grabbed Evangeline's hand. He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb and closed his eyes.

"You have a lot of nerve, you know that?" Evangeline said.

He smiled. "I knew you would take me back."

"I might not next time."

"There won't be a next time," he said. He could hear Dante pacing outside.

The room fell silent and he slowly drifted into sleep, still holding Evangeline's hand.

"What do you think about having another baby? I want twins," he murmured.

Evangeline snorted. "Considering the trouble this one put us through?"

Pause.

"I'll think about it," she said.

Vergil smiled and fell asleep. He dreamt of his mother, and instead of pain, he felt peace. For once, he understood and no longer felt guilt.

* * *

**_Because I love my creation so much, I decided I want to continue with it in another story. If you'd like to see more, let me know. __PEACE!_**


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